


Stargazing

by FangirlintheForest



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion & Lore Fusion, Dreams and Nightmares, Dreamsharing, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Kylo/Ben is Andromeda, Rey is Perseus, The Force, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Visions in dreams, porgs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22610461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangirlintheForest/pseuds/FangirlintheForest
Summary: “I wish they would go blind,stop whispering: he’s lying, he’ll leave.I hate that they knowwhat I don’t want to hear.Their poison passes my lips, harmless.Call me Faith, not Medusa,no one need become stone.”A Reylo retelling of the legend of Perseus and Andromeda
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 34
Kudos: 40
Collections: For one is both and both are one in love: The Reylo Fanfiction Anthology's Valentine's Day Exchange





	1. PART I

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpaceWaffleHouseTM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceWaffleHouseTM/gifts).



> I'm so excited for you guys to finally read this! My wonderful prompter gave me a Clash of the Titans (1981) prompt, but she also happens to like the movie Stardust. So, I ended up combining the best of them both and voila, this story happened! The plot kinda ran away from me and we are looking at about 30,000 or so words at this point haha! 
> 
> To SpaceWaffleHouseTM, I really hope you enjoy this, and thanks for choosing such a cool prompt to work with! This story has definitely been a labor of love and I hope that comes through in the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The summary is a few lines from [this poem](https://adairauthor.com/perseus/) by T.M. Adair.
> 
> I also listened to [this track](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtqO0J9ibxw) by Marcus Warner pretty much the entire time I wrote. I consider it the main theme of Stargazing.

She’s nobody. 

That’s not to say she is insignificant, because that would be a lie. She’s strong, able-bodied from years before the mast, with hands rough from scavenging shipwrecks, and a resilient demeanor built up over the years of hardship. But, the truth therein remains: she is nobody.

She was found off the coast of the Grecian island Seriphos as an infant, barely alive in a crudely-made box not meant for rough seas. Fishermen discovered her there, and she was brought off the beach and into the small village of Jakku. Passed from one family to the next, this was her childhood until she was old enough to earn her keep and was given over to the generally disagreeable harbor master. And it is here now that Rey of Jakku toils.

Waves roil over the rock that she’s precariously balanced on. The shipwreck in front of her is even more precarious, barely clinging on to the cliff face next to her rock. With a grunt and gritting of teeth, she strips another piece of wood away from the wrecked hull of the ship. Willing herself not to fall into the cold water below, she balances the scavenged wood on her shoulder, and climbs around the rock to the opposite side where her dingy is bobbing in the open ocean waves. She reaches into the water with one hand, rummaging around before her fingers finally grasp the rough rope of the dingy’s net. She shoves the wood into the rope casing with little ceremony. 

Drying her hands on the thighs of her tan trousers, she takes a deep breath as she straightens up, back cracking and muscles groaning in protest. The salt spray dusts her eyelashes and her bones are starting to feel the cold burn that comes with too much exposure to the Aegean sea. That’s enough scavenging for now.

Hopping back into her dingy, she picks up one of the oars, pushing away from the rock and deftly lifting the rope away from where it had been secured, leaving the dingy free to float into open waters.

Rey’s feet nudge a smaller net filled with scavenged valuables at the bottom of the hull as she sits, grabbing the other wooden oar with her free hand. With a sigh, she begins the long and difficult process of paddling back to the beach of Jakku. One stroke after another, she cuts through the water in the well-traveled familiar path. Before long she reaches the part of the shoreline where harbor meets the sandy beach.

The wood of the old dinghy cuts into her palms as she heaves the boat out of the water and onto the sand, well away from where the tides could potentially take it. As soon as the boat is positioned to her liking, she snatches the small but valuable net from the bottom of the dinghy as well as her staff. It’s made of wood, scavenged from an old wreck, and has a leather strap she strings over her chest to carry it behind her back.

It takes her longer to unhook the nets at the sides of the boat (timber tends to be harder to move about when it’s not being dragged through the water) but eventually she gets them free. Rey uses all her strength to haul the full nets up to the stone building where she knows the harbor master is currently, judging by the numerous people swarming around the small entryway. She’s never the only one hoping to get something of value back for raw materials.

Shoving past the irate crowd, she hauls both of the bigger bags onto the table where the harbor master sits counting coins. The wood slams down, and the neatly stacked coins scatter across the table. Unkar Plutt pauses mid-count before slowly looking up at the scavenger.

“It’s from the wreck off the west coast,” she offers. “Should be worth a few coins.”

The portly man keeps staring at her for a few seconds longer than is comfortable before pawing through the wood. While intimidation may work on the others that benefit from his….generosity, Rey is very much used to his underhanded tactics used to keep his coins.

“What you have brought me,” he grunts out, “is worth two drachmas.” 

Rey’s mouth falls open in shock. “This is all worth ten drachmas at  _ least _ ! The wood is-”

“I care not where the wood comes from. The wood is worth two drachmas, unless you are questioning my eye, girl?” Plutt’s reply is growled and laced with warning. Even the crowd behind her has quieted. Her mouth hardens as she stiffly puts out a hand. Plutt places two silver drachmas in her palm. “Next!”

Rey clenches her teeth as she turns and pushes back through the crowd toward the village. He should be giving her more. The wood alone is worth ten. She didn’t even show him the other bag she has. Anywhere else would get exactly what her haul’s worth but here in Jakku, Plutt is the only one disreputable enough to deal with scavengers. 

She’s never had another option. She barely ever has enough to eat. With every hardship and hungry night she has become a survivor. However, a certain type of anger still sits deep in her bones. One might even call it resentment. In all, Jakku is a wasteland for more than one reason, in Rey’s opinion. Nothing would please her more than leaving it behind, but Rey has long accepted her lot in life.

Jakku has few places other than homes in the village. The one place she favors (and even then it’s not very much) is the small tavern. 

When she enters she walks straight up to where the barkeep is. He’s busy and doesn’t even look up from where he’s organizing stock. “The same, I presume?”

She must have taken a second too long to respond, because his eyes flicker up to meet hers. She immediately nods. With one last glance he reaches behind the bar and pulls out a round bread loaf, placing it on the table before her. Rey slides the two drachmas over to him as she takes the loaf from him.

The bread is hard and tough. Ripping off a piece takes a fair bit of strength, but as usual she finds she doesn’t care once it’s on her tongue. Though it is not the tastiest, it is sustenance, and Rey takes her time savoring each bite. 

It’s dark by the time she’s done eating her meager meal. She is loathe to go back out and away from the warm structure, but she must settle in for the night.

When she gets back to the beach, she trudges over to her boat and pulls it toward a pile of rocks a safe distance away from the water’s edge. An old pile of driftwood leans against the rocks, forming a sort of shelter. The sand below is dug out to make the most out of the small space. She drags the boat closer and positions it to be in front of the shelter as much as she can. It hasn’t been too windy as of late but she’ll take the protection anyway.

After checking that the small net was still in the hull, she crawls into the structure. The sound of the waves lull her senses and out of nowhere Rey is hit with a wave of exhaustion. She untangles herself from the staff and places it outside the hut. A small tattered blanket is waiting at the bottom of the small pit and she pulls it around herself as much as she can. As she lays down, Rey can see the twinkling stars in the sky through the slits between the driftwood and takes comfort in their company. They make her feel like someone is watching over her and some days it helps her to feel a little less lonely. It takes a while for her to get comfortable, but when she does after much wiggling and stretching she sinks into oblivion.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Dreams are somewhat of an experience for Rey. Her dreams are always visceral and real, taking on a life of their own. Colors, shapes, and people make appearances in them, dragging her along and leaving her confused and anxious. Dark hands claw at her, reaching from deep dark places to steal her away for what she knows are evil purposes. At some point every night a curious presence always creeps up, but never touches her. It hovers nearby and sometimes  _ tries _ to touch her but in the few times she’s reached out, they’ve never been able to meet. Every morning she wakes and is never as well rested as she should be. 

Rey wakes up the next morning with a lingering feeling of foreboding. She can’t remember exactly what happened in her dream this time. It’s hazy, and every time she’s on the verge of grasping at a memory it flits away.

Rey sits up, holding her head as she tries to fully wake. After a few minutes of failing to conjure up anything, she elects to forget about it for now. Her water skin bumps against her thigh, and is close to empty. She drains it completely. Throwing off her blanket, she pulls herself out of her shelter and stands on shaky legs, putting the waterskin inside her satchel. Sand covers the side she slept on but she doesn’t care. She sits in her boat, facing the water and watches the sun rise on the horizon before she needs to set off.

Or does she? The small net is sitting right there. She reaches down to pull it onto her lap. If there truly is something of value inside, maybe haggling with Plutt could be an option. Her mind goes blank at the thought of a sack heavy with Drachma. 

Food. Food for weeks. Food enough to travel with and leave this wretched village.

Her stomach wrenches. She knows she can never leave. Beyond the issue of drachma, a deep dark part of her clings to this place, hoping that one day her parents will come to claim her. She’s heard the story a thousand times over, the village loves to talk of the girl bourne to them by the waves and the mercy of the Gods. She likes to sit and think of them, sometimes. Two parents travelling the seas in search of the daughter they lost.

She shakes her head, chiding herself as she reaches for the net. If she doesn’t have anything to earn her coin, she can never leave Jakku.

The first thing she pulls out is a statue of some sort, slightly rusting at the base. She places it aside with a grimace. Plutt would scoff at it.

Next, a few empty leather pouches. She could trade these for a small amount of Drachma. Maybe enough to get some food. It is shaping up to be a weak haul, and her hopes are fading very quickly. 

The last object in the net looks like an ornamental circle, if it was only the flat outline of the circle. It confuses her. She flips it this way and that in her hands. It reminds her of a headpiece, she’s seen something like this in the market before. However this is much more crude and not made of anything  _ that _ shiny.

She places it on her head. Plutt would never give more than five for-

Rey’s vision tunnels into black and she falls backwards into the hull of the boat.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It’s black and echoes surround her. She looks down and sees her hands, and grasps her midsection tightly. This is no dream. This feels all too real. She takes a cautious step forward and the whole world seems to fall forward until her feet slam into an ancient marble floor of a pantheon.

Rey swivels about, glancing at the ancient stone pillars. Crumbled marble covers the floor, and marble walls are covered with dust and dark grime. Burn marks marr what should have been pristine white surfaces.

A child screams in the distance and Rey swivels toward the noise.

“....Sky-Walker….” a deep voice fades in and out of her hearing and suddenly flames spring up where there once was none. The entire temple burns. Rey coughs violently as the flames lick up the sides of the pillars, and smoke envelops what she can see. Her eyes desperately search until she finds the gaping Temple entrance. She frantically runs through the smoke, praying she doesn’t become entrapped by the flames.

Rey bursts through the smoke, running down the stairs of the Temple, turning around to observe the flames shooting out of every opening. A golden crest of a wiry tree burns to black above the entryway. Below, a shadow of a man appears through the flames, and although she cannot make out his features, she can inexplicably tell his gaze is not on her. His cloak reminds her of a temple priest’s garb but before she can make out anything else, his eyes are locking with hers. She blinks and he’s gone.

With the flames dying down, Rey turns away from the blaze but freezes when she sees a man standing a few paces away, and behind him a cliff. He is much bigger than she, dressed in all black with a tattered cloak, hood, and a helmet designed almost in the likeness of a skull that makes her vaguely wonder if this is what the God of Death looks like. In one hand he holds a massive black sword, the metal of the blade tinged with red. He seems to be gazing into the flames. He must be what the apparition in the flames was focused on.

Suddenly feeling like a trespasser seeing something she shouldn’t, Rey takes a slow step backward but her boot hits something solid and time seems to slow down. The man turns to her and immediately lunges toward her, reaching out with a gloved hand. Rey can feel the rush of his anger and panics, losing her balance and falling backward as he gets closer. Her panic reaches a crescendo and something explodes out of her, pushing him away. The world shifts again, and she when she hits the ground, it’s not the grass around the burning temple, but the sand next to her boat.

She throws the circlet away from her, panting all the while. Her bones buzz with energy.

_ Gods, what was that? _

  
  


* * *

  
  


She manages to strip down the rest of the shipwreck from the day before even though she is completely distracted. Scavenging forces her to concentrate more on the task at hand and less on what she now assumes was a vision. 

Even so, it’s hard to concentrate. Everything seems heightened. She doesn’t need to directly see under the water to know that there’s a school of fish under the boat, or look up to see the handful of seagulls that are passing by. Rey shakes her head in an attempt to concentrate.  _ Damn _ that circlet.

The Gods hardly make themselves known to mortals, and most encounters that could have some form of truth to them have been reduced to myth and legend, the stories inflating to grand proportions. Visions are not that commonplace either, if at all. Rey knows little of such things. Jakku is not a place known for stalwart believers of the Gods and other such things.

As Rey paddles back with the rest of her finds, she finds she has questions that need answering. Questions that can only be answered by those associated with the Gods themselves. The boat runs aground, grinding against the sand. What she needs is a Temple.

She is so absorbed in her musing that she barely pays attention when Plutt pays her 5 Drachma for the large amount of materials, instead just pocketing the coins in her satchel and running to the tavern. 

There are more men than usual and the tables that are usually empty are filled. A trading caravan must have stopped by the village. Her usual spot at the counter is clear, and she hops onto the wooden stool. She waits for the barkeep to come over and she quickly hands him all five Drachmas.

“Two loaves and some water,” she says briskly, which earns her a curious look from the bar-keep. He reaches underneath the table and places two loaves of bread in front of her as she adjusts the staff on her shoulders. He holds out his hand and she gives over the waterskin. He goes over to a barrel behind the table, using a wooden spoon to fill her waterskin. Securing the top, he hands the now damp leather over to her. Rey nods in thanks as the men at a table behind her explode into raucous laughter.

“Alderaan? What business would you have there?” the disbelieving intonation travels across the whole room. “That entire kingdom is years to ruin, what with no King and no heir. Nasty business, the lot of it.”

It’s at this point that Rey turns around, noting that most everyone else in the room is listening to this self-assured stranger. Adding one more pair of eyes wouldn’t be peculiar.

“What of the rumors?” A woman from the back of the room shouts, and everyone starts murmuring in agreement or dissent. “What say you of those?”

The man, a skinny fellow with greying blond hair, snorts derisively as he takes a swig out of a cup. “Rumors? You mean ones of the cursed Prince? A supposed  _ Sky-Walker  _ with magical powers?”

The conversation breaks out in full force now, the entire tavern loud with discussions. Rey catches the word ‘levitation’ thrown around by more than one and is utterly confused. Sky-Walker? What does that mean?

She doesn’t realize she’s voiced her thoughts out loud until the man looks directly at her, raising a glass and speaks above the entire crowd. “That’s a conversation for the priests, girl.” And with a raise of an eyebrow he sips his drink and turns back to the men at his table.

Rey slowly turns back around to the table. The bar-keep is looking up and around at the noisy tavern while his hands are occupied by cleaning some wooden bowls with a rag.

“Where does one find a temple around here?” She asks, almost to herself.

The bar-keep stops cleaning, like he’s debating something deep inside his head. His lips press into a tight line.

“You did not hear this from me,” he starts out slowly. “But there is an old temple a few days travel North of here. Follow the road until you see green and then follow the path into the forest.” He nods at her. “You’ll see it.”

Rey leans back, mulling over the information as he goes back to cleaning. She briefly reconsiders what she’s about to do.

_ What if they come back? My parents... _

The burning temple and the warrior in black blazes through her memory. She feels a faint whisper inside that reminds her of the feeling she had right before the warrior was pushed away. This time it’s tugging at her, tugging her away from this place and toward the unknown. It’s then that she knows. She can come back, Jakku will always be here, but this, all of this is a  _ sign _ .

Rey pushes off of the table and her chair makes a scraping noise. Snatching the bread loaves, she shoves them into her satchel along with the waterskin and runs out the door.

To her right is the sea, and to the left, the road. She swallows her nervousness. She’s never taken a step outside of Jakku, but she is emboldened with purpose. And two loaves of bread, but that doesn’t matter so much. With a slight smile to herself and with one final glance at the ocean, she  _ runs _ .

  
  


* * *

  
  


She travels on foot well into the night and morning until she happens upon a donkey and wooden cart driven by a well-mannered trader who offers her a ride to the edge of the Joppa region, promising to wake her upon their arrival. She thanks him kindly, and eats a little before curling up on the malleable sacks of grain in the back of the wagon and drifting between waking and sound sleep. 

When the cart stops, the trader wakes her as promised and she pokes her head up to see a thick forest to her left with a dirt road offshooting into it. She thanks the trader as she hops out, and he jolts the donkey’s reins, continuing down the main road.

Rey lets out a breath as she gazes wide-eyed at the forest. The colors are so bright and beautiful, even the smell is fresh and earthy. She stares at  _ everything _ as she walks down the road and deeper into the forest. Plants reach out to cover the mossy ground, the soil is a rich deep brown, and the highest branches of the trees are swarming with life. She can feel the energy of the forest, and it’s the most wonderful thing Rey has ever experienced.

She treks like this for a while, just absorbing all the sights and sounds. She can’t help the grin on her face and happiness wells in her like a spring.

A dark anger suddenly swells in the back of her mind, and she jolts and cries out as it suddenly wrenches away from her head. She trips on a root and stumbles, but manages to stay upright.

The sudden malice tears any enjoyment right out of her and instead she feels wary. Could this have something to do with her vision? She prays to the Gods it doesn’t as the memory of the hooded masked figure flashes  _ again _ to the forefront of her mind. 

She stumbles down the path, rubbing her temples and trying to clear her thoughts. Who is he? And  _ where _ were they? The gnarled tree symbol on the burning temple is perplexing, Rey has never seen one like it before. 

She rubs her eyes and realizes she’s reached a clearing in the forest. Ahead of her is the edge of a cliff and in the sea of trees at the bottom is a lake, and a temple-like structure. This must be what the bar-keep was directing her to. The path she was on continues to her right, sloping downward with the rest of the terrain. She squints and she sees it at the bottom of the cliff too, leading straight past the Temple. 

Rey yawns, so she settles on the ground and pulls out some more of the meager bread and eats a few bites, allowing herself a respite before the long trek down to the Temple. 

She suddenly feels nervous, having no idea what lies ahead. As a scavenger, most people avoid her, thinking less of her because of what she has to do to survive. Would she be welcome at a temple of the Gods? She glances back down the cliff at the old edifice. Would there  _ be _ any people there? A spike of doubt enters her thoughts, but either way she does need shelter for the night. Where else could she go?

After her meal, Rey walks until dusk, barely reaching the bottom of the cliffs by the time the sun is setting on the horizon. The Temple is so close she can see the moss coating its pock-marked grey stone. A few colorful banners and flags fly, strung along the outside edges of the roofing. Rey doesn’t know much about Temples, but it is quite a strange sight.

The front of the Temple curves around to house a courtyard. A very empty courtyard. Rey walks through it as the multicolored flags above her wave and tangle around each other.

The front doors are made of rusted metal and are closed. As the thought of knocking enters Rey’s head, both doors swing inward, opening with a low moaning sound. She stops in her tracks, on edge. Nothing else moves or makes a sound. Steeling her shoulders, she walks into the Temple. She only has to go through a short passage way before it opens up into a bigger room. 

Where one would expect braziers, altars, and offerings, instead has been turned into a…..Tavern? Seedy looking folk are sitting on chairs made of scrap metal, and the tables are repurposed barrels. Torches are stuck between the cracks of the floor tiles and provide a slight bit of illumination. The back wall has been completely transformed into a bar. Rickety and barely held together shelves behind the counter sport various sizes and colors of drink, and a makeshift oven glows in the corner. Rey can smell the freshly baked bread from where she stands.

Rey’s eyebrows raise at the sheer audacity of it all. A house of the Gods turned into a house of ill-repute? The corners of her mouth can’t help but lift at the sight.

“Child, you’ve come at last!”

Rey feels a familiar shiver go down her neck at those words, impossibly louder than the rest of the racket in the room. She turns her head and her gaze lands on a small, wrinkled old woman stepping out from behind the bar.

Rey cautiously approaches keeping a firm grip on the strap of her satchel. “I’m sorry, but have we met?”

The woman scoffs at her instead of answering her question and waves a hand dismissively at Rey’s grip on her satchel. “There’s no need for that here. Everyone is welcome at Maz’s Palace.”

“That’s you?” Rey releases her hand from the strap slowly. “Maz, I mean.”

She gets a sly grin in return. “Of course.” Maz turns around and starts sauntering back toward the bar and waves a hand at Rey. “Come, let's get you some nourishment. You look half starved!”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Maz starts her off with a cup of the best drink Rey has ever tasted (Maz says it’s wine, a type made right in the valley) and then hands her a block of cheese the size of her fist. Rey’s eyes nearly pop out of her head and Maz just chuckles as she breaks off a hunk and shoves it down. A whole other loaf of old bread is in her satchel, so Rey pulls that out too, quickly finding that bread and cheese combined may just be a new favorite of hers. 

Maz steps away from her while she eats, not wanting to crowd her. However when she has slowed down and is picking at what remains of the cheese, the shorter woman reappears.

“I think it’s time we discussed what you’re really doing here, Rey.”

Rey immediately pulls out of her post-meal trance, narrowing her eyes at Maz in suspicion. “I never told you my name.”

“The Force can reveal many things, if one knows how to ask.” Maz responds in a wise manner, wiping away at the crumbs Rey left behind on the counter.

Rey is at a loss, but the buzz of energy from the dream is back at those words. “The Force?”

“The Force.” Maz affirms, nodding. “There are other aspects to this existence besides the Gods. The Force is one of them.” 

So the energy has a name. Rey leans forward intrigued by what Maz has to say. “So the Force and the Gods are different?”

“The Force binds us all and is a part of us. It is older and more eternal than even the Gods. Some mortals can even channel it to do wonderous things. Things that most of us would balk at. The Gods just understand it better than most.”

“You almost sound like a heretic,” Rey says, musing quietly. “But I have heard rumors of magical powers like the one you’re talking about.”

“When you live as long as I have, you tend to learn the ins and outs of things.” Maz corrects with a small smile. “It’s not so much magic as it is an energy.”

“I came here because I… I had a vision,” Rey blurts out. “I touched something, a relic or artifact and I saw things that couldn’t just come from a dream.” Rey pauses. “I think I unlocked something that’s always been there.” her voice comes out trembling, just above a whisper. “I don’t know what to do.”

Maz studies her with a curious expression as Rey struggles to overcome her emotions. 

_ Breathe in, breathe out. _

Rey takes a shaky breath in and sits up straighter as she breathes out. “Let’s say I believe you, and that there is this Force that regular mortals can use,” Rey says, “what mortal has used it?”

Maz’s expression grows dark at this, almost as if she remembers something she doesn’t want to be reminded of. “The Prince of Alderaan.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Rey is given a glimpse into a dark story surrounding the current Alderaanian royalty. Maz doesn’t tell her much, skirting around her probing questions when she asks them. According to what little Maz tells her, their heir, the Prince of Alderaan, is cursed by the Gods. Supposedly he is trapped in a forest.

“He’s rumored to be somewhere in the Joppa region, beyond Alderaan’s borders.” Maz concludes nonchalantly.

The story is a lot to process for Rey. In fact, everything Maz has told her so far is a lot to consider, especially for a scavenger who’s entire world as of yesterday consisted of just Jakku. 

Rey puts her head in her hands and huffs. The Prince must have done something horrible with the Force to displease the Gods. If he could do something horrific and worthy of godly cursing, who’s to say she couldn’t fall like that either?

Maz places a hand on the counter firmly and Rey jumps a little. “You’re tired.” She points to Rey’s left at a big metal doorway in the wall. “Head through that door and down the stairs. The storeroom should be safe enough and has a space or two to sleep. You won’t cause any trouble?” she asks with a raise of her eyebrows. Rey shakes her head vigorously. Maz waves a hand dismissively. “Off you go then.”

Rey nods, and hopes Maz can pick up on the unsaid thanks. She barely catches Maz’s small smile before the old woman turns away to wander away.

Rey carefully makes her way across the room, skirting around every patron and generally trying to stay as small as possible. Shimmying past two men, she manages to pry open the storeroom door.

“Is Maz telling that old Alderaanian story again?” one of the men calls to her.

Rey turns around and nods at him. “It was interesting.” she deadpans.

The man raises his eyebrows at her statement. “That’s a first,” he chuckles. The flat conversation is doing nothing for her and Rey turns away, ready to end the conversation. 

“I’ll bet she didn’t mention the reward.”

Rey stops mid-step. “A reward?”

“Fifteen thousand drachma,” he says emphatically, lowering his drink. “If you can bring him back to Alderaan, that is.” 

His companions stifle laughter. “Been a long time since someone set out to do it. Even longer since someone returned.” one of the men points out.

The mood drops significantly and they lapse back into their previous conversation, but not before the first man raises his drink to Rey, nodding at her between his companions before she turns and opens the cellar door.

There are torches inside - _ thank the Gods, _ \- and she closes the door shut behind her. The wooden stairs are squeaky at best, and there is a slight draft. Sacks of grain are everywhere, and huge barrels of wine are stored and stacked as high as the ceiling. Rey doesn’t think twice before throwing herself down on the one small bedroll in the corner of the room, tossing her staff away from her, and pulling the blanket over herself. 

She knows she should sleep, but instead her mind keeps going back to the  _ fifteen thousand _ drachmas. Rey can’t even imagine that kind of wealth, let alone the kind of life she could lead with it.

She wants it. She tries to sleep, but the thought of never having to scavenge again, never having to worry about where her next meal will come from is too enticing. She’s startled when she feels herself drawn to the idea of going off and getting this damn Prince from wherever he’s at and earning the reward. It can’t be that hard. She’s a scavenger, that’s what she does.

Thoughts swirl through her mind and a half-baked plan grows clearer and clearer. Hugging her satchel close to her chest, she falls into a deep sleep quickly.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Rey opens her eyes to bright light and smoke with her head hurting from the inside out. She’s in the dream again, standing in the same spot in front of the burning Temple. A sudden awareness burns through her, and she slowly turns to see the man in black a few paces away. He stares at her as her breath hitches, his mask tilting like he’s puzzled. The sword in his right hand lowers as he sheathes it. Rey wants to kick herself for not being more aware of her surroundings.

“How do we keep getting into these situations?” he muses. It’s almost too calm a tone after their last encounter. 

“ _ You _ ,” Rey backs away, waiting for him to pounce and wills herself to wake up.

_ Wake up, wake up, wake- _

“You can’t.” his voice is muffled behind the mask but firm and she jolts at it.

“Get out of my head!” She clutches her head and squeezes her eyes shut, suddenly aware that the pressure inside her skull must be him, and mentally  _ pushes _ it away, her teeth clenching with the effort. One moment she’s pushing against it, the next moment she shatters through the resistance and is pulled into a set of thoughts that are not her own.

Guilt.

Anger.

Fear.

Confusion.

She opens her eyes just in time to see the man stumbling backward, wrenching off his helmet. The hood falls back and Rey’s brow wrinkles. He is so much younger than she was expecting. His long wavy hair brushes his neck, just below his clenched jaw. It frames his pale face and dark startled eyes that are staring at her.

She still feels so much that’s not her own. Rey feels like she’s being tossed to and fro on the roiling waves of his emotions. With every second, his feelings get clearer in her mind, and his thoughts become transparent.

“This place frightens you,” the words slip quietly from her lips. “You’re afraid.”

Now it’s his turn to jolt back, away from her. His face flashes with fear. Anger flares from him before a mental wall slams between them. 

As his features settle into a blank expression void of emotion, she can feel herself starting to wake. He stands taller as the scene before her dims and she jolts up in the cellar, alone and gasping at what has just occured.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Rey fails to fall back asleep and just ends up tossing and turning uncomfortably. Since there are no windows to gauge the time, Rey gathers her things and goes up the stairs into the main room. Soft light streams into the building from outside and there are only a few people milling about. It must be early. She sits down at an empty table instead of the bar, pondering what in the hell that dream was.

As she sifts through what she remembers, her mind brushes up against something distinctly not her own and the blood drains from her face. It’s the connection and she can still feel it even though she’s not dreaming and his presence is gone. She mentally recoils from it, thankful when nothing happens. 

“Sleep well?” Rey doesn’t notice Maz approach and jumps as the older woman speaks.

“Um, yes. Yes I did.” Rey sputters out, nodding a little too vigorously and slowly stopping when Maz shoots her a scrutinizing look.

“I’ll bring you some breakfast,” the older woman says without commenting on Rey’s strange behavior and walks away to fetch the meal.

Rey sinks into her seat, fiddling with her hands. She’s never been a good liar and she’s never experienced anything like Maz’s open generosity. She doesn’t know how to react, and it makes for a truly uncomfortable situation. She squirms a little as Maz brings her over some fresh bread and more cheese with a cup of wine.

“You look worried.” She states, as she sets everything down on the table in front of Rey.

Rey’s insides twist. “It’s nothing - I just don’t know what to say. How can I repay you for everything?”

“Child, you owe me nothing.” Maz says deftly. “Forgive me for saying, but it seems you haven’t seen much kindness in your life. It’s the least I can do, Force willing.”

Rey is stunned into silence and does everything in her power to keep her eyes from getting misty. It takes a few seconds to compose herself but she finally allows herself to accept what Maz has offered. Maz smiles almost knowingly as Rey tucks into the cheese and bread.

“When you’re done, come find me.” Rey barely has time to nod before Maz disappears into some other part of the room. 

It doesn’t take Rey long to finish the meal this time. When she’s eaten the last little bits of bread and cheese, she stands up and looks around the room looking for Maz. Rey spots the smaller woman pulling a freshly baked loaf of bread out of the clay oven at the back of the room. She approaches and stops just before the counter, not wanting to trespass where she’s not welcome. However, Maz waves her over anyway and Rey sheepishly goes over to her.

“Follow me,” Maz leads her to the other side of the building, a place Rey hasn’t been to yet. They go down some stairs and through a hallway lined with torches. Maz uses a key to open an unassuming wooden door in front of them and motions for Rey to stay put. She can hear shuffling from in the room as the woman enters. Rey fidgets for a few minutes before Maz reappears with a cloth bundle in her arms.

“This has been sitting down here for far too long. I know now that it belongs to you.” She pulls back the cloth to reveal a sword and scabbard with a belt. Rey’s eyes widen. It’s beautiful, all silver and shining perfectly in the dim torch light. 

Maz extends her arms, clearly offering the sword to Rey, but Rey hesitates. She almost doesn’t want to touch the sword. It’s too perfect and she feels she’ll marr it somehow. However, something about it just  _ calls _ to her. 

When she does grab it by the hilt and pulls it out of the scabbard, all inhibitions are suddenly gone. It feels  _ right _ , like it  _ belongs _ . The faintest of blue hues glints off the blade in the dim torchlight, it’s balance and weight absolutely perfect.

“I have a feeling I know what you’re about to do,” Maz states, watching Rey testing the weapon. Rey clenches her jaw a little as she twirls the blade. “You should know you can’t save him. There is more at play than you realize.”

Rey’s stubbornness extends back into her beginnings in Jakku and in this case, it rears its head in full force at Maz’s statement. Rey doesn’t want to justify her decision or argue with this woman who’s been nothing but kind to her. Instead, she sheathes the sword. “I think I can handle myself. Thank you for everything. I won’t forget your kindness, but I have to go.” She straps the scabbard to her hips and turns to leave.

Maz heaves a little sigh like she knew nothing she would say could change Rey’s mind, and smiles sadly at the girl walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The headpiece Rey finds is inspired by the [Circlet of Saresh](https://tumblr.com/%5Bbeta's_tumblr_name%5D).
> 
> And we're off!! :D
> 
> I'm planning on having parts two and three up on the 17th and the 21st (I work this weekend, sorry). The last chapter will for sure go up on the 21st for the author reveal, even if I do split it into more chapters! Also on the author reveal day I will put up links to my mood boards and my Spotify playlist for this story. I would do it now, but that would give me away ;)
> 
> Let me know what you think down below! Thank you so much for reading!


	2. PART II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRST: I am SO sorry, especially to SpaceWaffleHouseTM, for getting this out late! At work I got hired for another position in addition to what I already do, so I wasn't able to edit this chapter on Monday like I wanted to. :( There are some big scenes in this chapter and I was not about to push out something that wasn't completely edited. The next chapter will be up on time.
> 
> SECOND: Thank you to those who have bookmarked, subscribed, and left kudos and comments! I appreciate you all so much.
> 
> LASTLY: We're gonna go on some serious adventuring in this chapter. Are you ready for the Reylo stuff now? hehe Let's go!

Rey says goodbye to Maz’s palace in the form of a lingering glance before heading out of Takodana and up North into the Joppa region. The road turns into gravel as she goes along, rather than the rich soil of the roads near Takodana. Along the way she picks berries off bushes, and drinks water from a clear river that flows beside the road. The weather is sunny and bright and clear skies reign, the beautiful blue dotted with fluffy white clouds. Birds circle above and chirp as they dive and swerve through the sky.

Rey stumbles upon a fair amount of wagons and riders transporting goods along the route. As she travels further along, the carts get more ornate instead of the simple wood ones that sometimes appear in Jakku. At every crossroad, wooden signs are placed with directions or sometimes directions would be carved into rock. She only has to double back twice, to her great delight.

At some point, she reaches the coast again and must take a boat. After haggling with the sailors, she manages to negotiate passage across the water to the actual city of Joppa. She helps the sailors clean the boat, and they even have her climb the mast a few times to fix the sails. It’s a pleasant journey for the most part.

When the city itself appears, Rey is amazed at the construction. Joppa makes for an interesting sight as one approaches from the water. Without all the buildings, the land would be full of hills. However it’s now an endless sea of homes and stores conforming to the landscape. 

She stays there for a few days, doing odd jobs for the willing shopkeeper or trader by cleaning or delivering goods to and from the marketplaces. She even earns herself a new outfit to replace her old tan outfit, this one made up of darker fabrics consisting of grey tones and cloth that sweeps across her torso. There’s even enough extra fabric to make arm wraps like she had before. In the spirit of change, she even tries letting down half her hair, finding it helps keep her neck warm by blocking some of the breeze. It’s a few days later that she says goodbye to the town, armed with provisions.

The Joppa region, like the coast town itself, is full of rolling hills. The grass is so green and the sight of it next to the blue sky is enough to make Rey’s soul sing. She smiles at the thought of the past days in Joppa. It was made up of completely new experiences and she’s seen so much more of the world than she ever thought she would. She’s never felt more empowered or free.

The breeze ruffles her hair, and she likes it. She thought she would hate not having her hair up in those little buns, but there’s something about having picked this style of hair herself that makes her happy.

She munches on some grapes as she walks. While she was in Joppa she did some inquiring about the Prince. Answers ranged from the believable to the absurd, but eventually she was able to piece together some sort of answer to follow.

There is a forest, at the edge of the region that no one dares go to. Apparently, it had been cursed by the Gods ( _Would it be anything else?_ ) and from the other ridiculous answers she had been given, she decided this was the most likely place to find him. It’s a long journey to get there, but it’s one she’s willing to make.

Whenever she sets up camp for the night, she takes the sword out of the scabbard and practices with it. The blade moves with her slightest command, and she finds that swings come naturally to her. It feels different than her staff, with a much shorter range than she’s used to. However, the blade feels more dangerous, and somehow more right than the wood staff ever did, even if her movements are a bit more clunky. 

Sleeping is getting easier. She has had normal dreams since he slammed the wall down between them, but sometimes she will get vivid flashes of the burning temple in the middle of them. She always feels him there because of the connection, sometimes stronger than usual, but the barrier stays. Rey has taken to mentally exploring the link, following the thread that connects them and prodding gently at his walls. It’s no longer such a mystery to her anymore since she’s explored as much as she can. He, however, still is. Finding the Alderaanian Prince is the first priority. Then, and only then will she try to find out the meaning of the visions.

Tonight she is huddled under a small cluster of trees in the soft dirt beneath their branches. She tried some newer moves with the sword, more twirling than normal, less hacking motions. Her shoulders and torso are pleasantly sore.

She feels a hum of power whenever she touches the sword and it’s something she could _definitely_ get used to.

_Maybe it’s the Force._

She’s considered this before. And maybe that is the case, maybe the Force _is_ with her the same way it’s with the Prince. That could explain the strange call she has to him but it also puts a chill in her bones, and a rare shiver runs down her spine. Darkness is also an attribute of the Gods, and since the Force is their power, would it be wrong to assume that she could be prone to dark deeds as well? Isn’t that what happened to the Prince? Rey frowns, shrugging deeper into herself. It’s not good to sleep with these thoughts. They don’t lend themselves to pleasant dreams.

* * *

Unfortunately she is right and dreams of her childhood, the never-ending hunger, and a nightmare of the never ending sea that stretches on and on. She’s drowning in it, and there’s nothing, no respite except an empty horizon.

Then she feels him. The bond twitches, and she feels the wall on his side loosen almost imperceptibly. Desperate, she grasps at it like a lifeline, yanking and pulling herself out of her dream.

She hits the grass in front of the burning Temple on her hands and knees, completely drenched head to toe and coughing up water. She sucks in air and her lungs make a rasping sound as she coughs dryly.

She hears a muffled noise from right beside her and Rey looks up in between gasps to see _him,_ maskless and staring down at her.

“I don-'' she coughs too deeply and almost ends up hitting the ground face first. “I don’t have the energy to argue with you tonight,” she says tiredly. 

“I can see that,” he says sarcastically. He walks a few short paces facing away, one hand clasping the wrist of the other. “You shouldn’t have come here, then.”

She coughs as she glares daggers at his broad back. “I had no choice!” Her frustration and some of her annoyance bleed into the bond. He feels it and his back stiffens, but some of her distress flits across too, and he turns around before she can fully cut it off. “I had nowhere else to go.” Rey mumbles, breaking eye contact.

He frowns at her as she sits back on her haunches. She wishes she had a blanket and shivers despite wrapping her arms around herself. The sky is dark and littered with stars. Everything is dark except where the light of the burning temple touches.

Rey gets up, tired muscles shaking only a little, and walks right past him to get closer to the fire. Once she’s close enough to feel warmth, she finds a rock and sits. She can practically taste the ash from the fire on her tongue and she wrinkles her nose, sniffing a little.

A shiver has her shaking for a split second, and as she hunches over for warmth Rey hears a scraping noise and feels a weight by her side. Glancing down, her eyes widen when she sees the sword and scabbard have followed her into her dreams.

“Where did you get that?” Rey head snaps up to the growl that emanates from him as he points at her sword. “It’s _mine_.” 

She tenses, standing up and mirroring him. His reaction to the sword is bewildering. “No, it’s mine. It was given to me freely.”

His anger flares through the bond, but so does despair. “It wasn’t _given_ freely, since it is mine. Give it to me.” He extends a palm like he expects her to just hand it over.

In a surge of sudden courage, she unsheathes it, holding it fast with both hands.

“So be it,” he spits, raising his angry looking weapon.

And he advances.

She wants to run but he is on her before she even has a chance to think. His first blow nearly sends her to her knees, his strength sending shockwaves down her arms and she blocks the blade.

And that’s how she finds herself for the next few minutes, in a desperate scramble backwards, messily blocking every strike he swings at her. Finally, he lands a blow near the hilt that makes her cry out, and the sword flies from her hand. She collapses backward onto the ground as it arcs through the air. They both watch as it lands in a patch of grass, too far for either of them to reach.

She grits her teeth in defiance as he swings his sword almost lazily above her, preening in her defeat. She doesn’t need a bond to tell that he is smug, secure in his victory.

She grows angry.

Something deep inside calls her, but it’s nothing like the one that brought her to Joppa. This one comes from everywhere, she can feel the cold steel of his sword, the energy of the embers from the temple, the wind as it touches every blade of grass, and she can feel the hilt of her blade calling out to her. She feels it all at once, the oneness, the balance.

Rey raises her hand, and reaches out to the blade.

She can feel his shock as the blade flies straight into her outstretched hand. She feels powerful, unstoppable and she jumps up, slashing upward with her sword.

He howls as the blade connects, cutting a jagged path through his collarbone and upward to his brow, barely missing his eye. He falls backward, clutching his face with his gloved hands.

Rey pants, hovering over him with her blade. The Force swirls around them. He breathes hard now, pained noises escaping his lips. His mind is open to her but she’s only interested in one thing - his name.

“You have no power over me, _Kylo Ren_.” She sees his eyes widen, and his mystified gaze pierces her harder than it should. 

And she leaves him.

  
  


* * *

  
  


She wakes peacefully, without flailing limbs. Rey sits up, stretching her cramped muscles and yawns. The sun is still rising, rays of light barely peeking over the horizon. She begins gathering her things. She swallows deeply as her fingers brush over the cool hilt of her sword. She can still recall everything from the dream in perfect clarity. She shakes her head to get rid of the memories as she stands.

The Nihil forest is within walking distance, a few miles away, according to the last sign she saw. Why the Gods would choose to punish someone by sending them to this region is beyond Rey. She’s enjoyed every step of the journey to this point. The fresh air has done wonders for her. Away from the salt spray, her hair has grown soft to the touch and nourishment has done wonders to keep her strong.

There is an extra beauty to everything now that she sees the world through the Force as well. She feels it all: life, death, beauty and decay, light and dark. Even the bond feels like it has a place. 

Rey closes her eyes and smiles as she traipses across a grassy hill. The sound of the wind blowing gently through the grass and the sun caressing her is everything she never knew she wanted. She is content. Suddenly, Rey hears a low hum in her ears and the noise around her disappears. Her eyes shoot open and meet Kylo’s shocked gaze.

They both continue to stare at each other, neither one moving. He’s all alone, looking out of place with his dark clothing in the middle of the beautiful bright grass.

“What...is this?” she manages to choke out. How can he possibly be here? He’s only ever in her dreams. 

“Can you see me? I can only see you.” He looks around, completely ignoring her. He is right, however. Rey can only see him. Wherever he is, she cannot see his surroundings, just as he can’t see hers.

_It’s the bond._ They both realize it at the same time as they lock eyes again and their voices echo through each other’s heads.

Rey swears out loud using every filthy word she’s ever learned from the Jakku sailors, throwing down her satchel with a yell. “Will I _ever_ be free from you?!”

“Such dirty words from such a pretty mouth.” He comments offhandedly, his eyes narrowing.

Rey whirls on him. To his shock, she jabs a finger in his face, doing her best to tamper down the sudden flush that wants to spread across her cheeks at his intense gaze. “You! _You_ did this!”

He’s even more surprised when she crowds his personal space. Is she not afraid of him? “I had nothing to do with this, _Scavenger_!” he angrily shoots back.

Rey bristles at the title, jerking away from him. “Stay out of my head, you monster!” She spits the word at him with all the contempt she has. He has no right to be rifling through her head.

He steps closer, close enough for her to see every detail of the wound she gave him. She tenses at the close proximity, and her eyes flit over the raised wound on his face, already scarring over. “ _Yes_ , I am.” 

She spins around, needing the space away from him and his intensity. She very nearly shrieks in frustration at him, even if just to tamper down the confusion growing. Why did the Force deem it fit to link the two of them? What is the point? She doesn’t even know who he is, really. Just as he doesn’t know her, she realizes.

_Why did it have to be him?_

“Where are you?” his sudden query cuts through her thoughts. She turns around to frown at him when noise beyond him starts to filter back in to her hearing. He’s frowning and looking around her again, this time like he’s trying to make out her surroundings. Almost as if he’s recognized something, and is seeking confirmation.

“Rey, where ar-”

She blinks and he’s gone. The wind grabs at her hair as she stands there in disbelief, still looking at where Kylo stood. It’s only then that she realizes he said her name.

  
  


* * *

  
  


When Rey arrives at the forest, she is surprised at how normal it looks. With all the talk surrounding the wood, she expected something… more ominous.

The forest is older, and more colorful than Takodana. Moss covers the ground in a blanket of bright green. It looks quite enchanting, all things considered.

There is no clear pathway leading into the woods. The main road actually runs parallel to it. For whatever reason, Rey finds herself hesitant to go in. The pretty scenery is doing absolutely nothing to dampen the roiling emotions in her mind. 

Who is Kylo Ren? Why is he bonded with her? And what is this dream they seem to be sharing? All questions that no matter how much she ponders them, she cannot answer.

She’s never heard of Kylo Ren. With his dangerous aura and explosive temperament, she’s sure she would have heard something of him by now. She can’t ever recall hearing about a warrior clad in all black with a sword like his. 

Rey hasn’t exactly been sociable while on her travels, and she certainly wasn’t paying much attention to gossip back in Jakku. Interacting with people is not something that comes easily, especially with her background. She’s more used to fending off others than she is seeking their company. She grits her teeth in annoyance. Finding the next town is now of the utmost priority, much to her great displeasure. She needs to take a second to re-center herself from this Kylo Ren mess and, unfortunately, gather information.

Rey continues on the road, glancing every once and a while into the forest. She chides herself every single time. Does she really think she’ll just be able to spot the Prince from the road? If it were that simple, someone else would have claimed the reward a long time ago.

It seems like a never ending amount of time before the forest fades beside her, and she begins to pass fields, trees and regular shrubbery. Old fences begin to line the road and hopefully it means a town is near. Rey could almost sigh in gratitude. Her feet are beginning to feel sore from walking. She passes some trees and is met with the smell of ...firewood?

The town directly in front of her is small, the buildings all crafted out of wood. 

Over half of it is razed.

What must once have been homes or even establishments are now burned shells of what they once were. Charred piles of wood are surrounded by scorched earth and greenery. Roofs are half collapsed if not burned. Clothes and cloth are strewn around as if thrown in a rage. A patch of earth that might have once been a garden is now trampled to nothing, the plants crushed and the earth now a sludge of mud.

Rey cannot keep her crestfallen emotion from showing as she takes it all in. There are still men, women, and children about. Sorrow, painted by ash is on every one of their faces. They clean, gathering what is left of their homes. The few men Rey does see are taking the heavier wreckage and piling it on a single wagon in the middle of the road.

A sign above one of the buildings left standing indicates lodging and food. It’s with tentative steps that she enters. Inside, the smell of smoke permeates the air, though nothing inside seems to have been touched by the flames. There is hardly anyone about and the mood is a tangibly dampened one.

Rey approaches the counter, sitting down on the raised bench that wraps around the bar. She leans in toward where the bar-keep is standing, not wanting to disturb the other patrons. “What happened here?” she inquires, keeping her voice low.

The bar-keeper frowns for a split second, but after he sees she’s not one of the locals he relaxes. “Knights showed up and burned down half the village. Killed a few on their way out, may the Gods rest their souls.” he shakes his head solemnly. 

“I’m so sorry,” she immediately says, breaking eye contact. “What kingdom would do this to you?”

“Not a kingdom.” he states. “The Knights of Ren serve no man.”

“The Knights of Ren?” she breathes.

_Kylo._

And it all clicks. Rey’s stomach sinks and her heart starts beating louder. He was _here_.

“So you have heard of them?” the bar-keep inquires slowly.

“N-Yes. I’ve heard the name Kylo Ren before.” she mutters, shuffling uncomfortably on the bench. “I just didn’t realize there was more than one.”

“ _That_ one seems to lead them.” He scoffs. “Blood-thirsty dogs, ravaging every town they can. And now ours. We lost more than a few good men out there.” He turns away and she can see the twitching set of his jaw.

Rey fidgets with her bag, uncomfortable with this new information. It’s deeply unsettling to know that there are more _like_ Kylo, but even more frightening to know that they’re all very close - and apparently very dangerous. The remains of the town are still smoking, meaning it’s only been a day or so since the Knights and Kylo were here.

Rey shuffles again. It may not be the wisest option to go to the forest now, but she doesn’t have any time to waste. The faster she retrieves the Prince the more likely it is that they can outrun Kylo and his Knights. She picks herself up off the bench and goes back outside to the road.

The first thing Rey sees upon exiting is a woman and her children huddled next to one of the nearby collapsed huts. The children are crying but their mother doesn’t make a sound, only one lone tear streaking through the ash covering her worn expression. Rey feels heavy as she passes them, leaving the village behind. 

Darkness creeps up on the land, and soon the light of the sun is fading. By the time she reaches the forest again, shadows are falling in between the trees and Rey finally understands why this forest is regarded as it is. The shadows seem to curl unnaturally and it's just as unnerving as she’s been told. 

Though she spends some time looking and poking around the edges of the main road, there is no clear path into the forest. In fact, there is no clear path _at all_. Rey’s shoulders slump a little. This will make the journey in the dark that much harder. However, she has survived on the beaches of Jakku... how hard could this really be?

Rey quickly learns that Nihil forest and Jakku are very different terrains when she trips more than once within the first few minutes of going off the road and entering the forest. She swears at a particularly hard tree root when she stubs her toes for what must be the fifth time.

_“Such dirty words from such a pretty mouth.”_

She shoves the memory away. Why is it that even when he’s gone, he _still_ manages to get inside her head?

His chuckle echoes through her mind, and her back goes as straight as a ramrod.

That was no memory.

Before he can say anything, she slams a mental wall down between them and her mind is blissfully silent.

Her toes throb and she glares into the darkness, conceding to the fact that finding the Prince will have to wait until the morning. Slipping down next to the nearest tree, she curls up into a ball and closes her eyes. Maybe this time there will be no dreams.

  
  


* * *

  
  


She opens her eyes and the Temple is there. Again. As her irritation spikes, a curl of flame explodes out the top of the building. She jolts backwards, frowning at the flames as they recede. 

She looks around, and is unsurprised to find Kylo ahead of her, unmasked and sword sheathed, staring at the flames. When he doesn’t turn, she relaxes a little and stays on the ground. Maybe the Force will be merciful and end this dream quickly.

“It won’t.” Kylo says without turning around. “It never does.” It’s almost as if he’s not speaking to her, but to himself.

He’s too still, his back too rigid and his right hand is clenched into a tight fist. His discomfort floats through the _open_ bond and she can feel his ties to this place - ties that go beyond just a dream.

Rey tentatively follows the connection, reaching out with her mind to gently nudge at his. His thoughts are a whirlwind powered by heavy emotion, and grasping at just one seems impossible. Just as she feels her mind wrapping around one of his thoughts, he slams the mental door between them. Rey winces, squeezing her eyes shut at the sharp pain of her expulsion.

“Stay out, Scavenger,” he threatens, turning toward her. He waves a finger at her just like she did at him on that hill. His regular dark circles are deeper than normal, casting an even darker shadow under his tired eyes.

“What is this place, Kylo?” she bites out. “Don’t bother lying, I’ll know.” His eye twitches, and she doesn’t need a bond to sense his barely contained rage. However, Rey is past the point of caring. “Where are we?”

Kylo’s hand clenches into a fist again but he drops it, turning slightly away from Rey. His mouth purses as he begins to stare off into nothing, contemplating. He internally debates telling her _everything_ because a small traitorous part of his brain desperately longs for someone to listen. And who would she tell?

“No one dreams of a burning Temple of the Gods for no reason, Kylo. Even I know that. What did you do?”

His teeth grind as his jaw clenches.

“Fine! Don’t answer.” She snaps when he refuses to say anything. “I know everything I need to know about you. I know about the Knights, about the villages, all of it.” 

It’s the barely concealed contempt in her tone that pushes him too far. “You know _nothing_ of what is happening,” he snaps. “Do not assume to know me!”

“But I do, Kylo. I’m in your head.” she replies hotly. She stands, not backing down from his anger. She gestures at the building, her words getting louder and louder. “You did this. You destroyed this Temple and the man inside.” 

“I _wish_ I had.” he counters. “Then maybe I would be free of this never ending nightmare.”

_That_ finally stops her. Her mouth goes slack as she processes what he just said, her anger quickly fading.

“Leave me,” He blurts out, turning away from her with a sense of finality. “I have no wish to fight you.”

“I wish I could,” she says slowly, softly. Her arms slowly lower back to her sides as she gauges his mood, an instinct from her years at Jakku. It doesn’t matter, though. He doesn’t do anything to acknowledge her further.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Rey thinks that Nihil Forest may be cursed after all, because the dream seems to never end. Kylo refuses to talk, or even interact with her at all. Rey sits in an uncomfortable silence for a while before getting up and walking away.

Besides the cliff and the grassy open area at the front of the Temple, she really hasn’t explored much. Now seems like as good of a time as ever. The rocky wall of a mountain is on the left of the building, but to the right there is more to venture about. There are some small rocky walls here and there, but nothing like an actual mountain wall. Grass extends out here too, small flowers dotting the ground. Curving trees, wide at the top, are here and there, adding some texture to the landscape. 

Rey climbs one tree, and to her delight discovers fruit hanging from the higher branches. What the rules are for eating in dreams she doesn’t know, but the fruit is juicy and tastes delicious.

Rey takes a moment to lean back against the tree trunk and just observe everything around her. Everything is illuminated by a sky full of stars. Instead of the black heavens with no light that she was expecting, dark purples and blues swirl together painting the most beautiful picture above. The stars shine down and provide a soft light over the land. Rey relaxes against the tree under their comforting gaze.

After a little while, she carefully climbs back down, picking an armful of the fruit on the way. Rey even devours another whole fruit on her way back to the Temple. She goes to sit by one of the trees on the temple lawn, dumping the fruit into her lap. She spends a while eating another fruit and observing Kylo out of the corner of her eye.

His fragile emotions are seeping through the bond again. _This place really does affect him_ , Rey realizes, taking another bite. Maybe the Gods are punishing him too - maybe this dream is his own personal hell. The sweetness of the pear goes sour in her mouth and Rey swallows, her appetite gone.

Instead of ruminating about the man in front of her, Rey decides to experiment with the fruit. With the bond getting stronger, maybe her connection to the Force is too. She places a fruit in her hand and concentrates, letting all thoughts trickle away into silence. She feels the water lapping below them, the birds high above, and the spirit of the Temple flames. She can feel the energy inside her, and the storm of energy inside Kylo. She feels _connected_ , and she understands what Maz meant when she said the Force binds us all.

Rey can sense the energy wrapping around the pear in her hand and it piques her curiosity. She reaches out through the energy, the Force - and guides the pear up into the air, but a loud cracking sound from the Temple cuts through her concentration and the pear drops. She glares at the Temple for it’s untimely distraction and takes a bite of a different pear. Of course, that’s when Kylo decides to break his silence.

“You’re going to the Prince of Alderaan. Why?” He turns toward her slightly.

His statement hits her like a punch to the gut. “What makes you say that?” she sputters through a mouthful of pear.

“When you last appeared I could smell the Hyacinth flowers. They’re native to a province of Joppa one only travels to if going to visit Nihil forest. Unless you happen to be a trader, but you don’t strike me as one.”

So _that’s_ what he had been trying to discern earlier. Her fingers that clutch the pear tremble a bit at the thought of him knowing her location, especially when he and his Knights are so close.

“Rey,” Her eyes flick upward to his, picking up the ever-so-slight insistence coloring his tone. “Why are you seeking the Prince?”

She looks down at the pear in her hand while she considers her answer. “The reward is a good motivator.” Rey says pointedly, raising her eyebrows. “I am a scavenger after all.” she lets a little bitterness slide through her statement.

“Motivator, yes. But the reason? No. Try harder.” She almost laughs without mirth at him. She would have been scared witless at his demands before, but now the scar on his face is a reminder that she too holds power here.

But, she sighs before answering anyway. She’s actually given this a lot of thought. “He deserves to be saved. From what I’ve heard, he wasn’t given a chance to rectify his mistakes, whatever they were.” She shrugs. “To not give him a chance to be better is the real crime.”

“It’s more than that,” Kylo prompts without anger or malice in his voice. In fact, it’s quite soft, almost gentle.

Rey flashes him a guarded look before turning back to the pear and reaching out again. This time the pear lifts up, gliding over to Kylo and he barely has time to catch it in his palms when she lets it fall. 

“He has a family... who loves him.” Rey tries not to show emotion but she knows he can feel every drop. “That is worth more than anything I’ve ever scavenged in Jakku.”

“You’re jealous.” he states.

“I know what it’s like to be alone.” Tears start gathering in her eyes.

Kylo swallows hard at her display of unconcealed emotion. “You’re not alone.”

“Neither are you.” Her response flows naturally. Rey surprises herself with how much she means every word. What’s even more surprising is the raw honesty she can feel emanating from Kylo’s side of the bond. There are no barriers, she realizes - just truth and honesty. It should feel wrong, but it somehow feels right. And it doesn’t even feel wrong when she feels his longing for closeness at the edges of the bond. More specifically, a longing to be close to _her_.

“Where are you, Rey?”

She almost answers him - _almost_. A tiny sliver of suspicion slips through the bond, shattering the moment. Rey slightly twists away from him, hand reaching to her side in a natural reflex - but almost as if toward the handle of her sword.

Kylo’s face immediately darkens and his hand subtly clenches. Inexplicably, Rey’s chest feels too tight and her stomach drops. All she wants to do is reach out and grab his gloved hand and loosen it in her own.

A crumbling sound crashes over the still landscape, and they turn to see a large section of the Temple crumble into the flames. Rey lifts her hand from herself as the flames reach to the sky, the crackling sound getting louder.

Weariness washes over her from his side of the bond. He stares at the flames, but she can feel the hopelessness that settles in his chest. The empathy that swells leads to a lone tear that traces its way down her cheek.

When she wakes, her eyes are wet and she allows the remaining tears to fall.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The day is warm in that damp way that only a forest is. Rey’s boots sink into the spongy moss and the snap of fallen twigs puncture through the serene environment.

There’s no real landmarks of any kind as the whole forest looks the same. Rey has no idea where to go, but she knows she’s in the right place. The Force is strong here, she can feel it.

After a few hours of walking haphazardly, a slight grinding noise - like metal on metal - catches Rey off guard. She freezes, hand slowly curling around the hilt of her sword. The noise gets louder, like it’s getting closer. Rey dashes to the nearest tree and starts climbing as it hits her: _it’s armor._

She manages to scramble up the branches and find a comfortable spot hidden in the branches when a masked man in black armor walks directly underneath her tree. From her spot high above, she can see the metal coverings are very similar in style to Kylo’s, but it’s not him. Her heart leaps into her throat and her breathing hitches. This must be one of the Knights. 

He has one hand on the grip of a vicious looking scythe as he walks and instead of moving on like she was praying he would, he stops right below her tree. His head swivels around, and then two more men in similar armor walk up from behind her tree to stand next to him. One has a wicked looking battle axe and the other carries a mace resting on his shoulder.

Rey curls into herself, desperately trying to make herself smaller. It’s not like they’ll see her, she’s high enough that the likelihood is slim, but that does nothing to stop her mind from flitting over the images of the ruined town. She prays they don’t look up.

“Anything?” The first man asks the other two.

The man with the axe and flowing robes shakes his head. His mask has dark holes where his eyes should be and Rey shudders as he replies. “Elio and Mihail are searching to the East. Onias is staying near Cardota.” It must be the town she just came from. She mouths the word silently, committing it to memory but nearly gasps out loud at his next words. “She is still in the forest, I can feel it.”

The first man with the scythe nods. His helmet is oddly made with a strange texture covering the front. “She can’t be far. Remember Lord Ren’s orders.” The other two nod, the man with the mace grunts, and they head in different directions.

When the wood is silent once more, Rey slumps against the tree trunk. Relief floods through her. This is not how she pictured her rescue attempt going, but at least the Knights are gone for now.

The feeling of a gentle prodding inside her mind almost makes her fall out of the tree. Her frazzled nerves coupled with a spike of panic must be palpable because the prodding becomes slightly more aggressive. Tentatively, she opens her mind.

Kylo is immediately there. She feels him rummaging around until suddenly, he stops - and then disappears altogether. Rey frowns, closing her eyes and following the bond until she hits a solid wall with a sudden jolt. She opens her eyes, confused. He’s completely closed himself off from her.

“That’s strange,” she mutters to herself as she lowers herself down the tree branches to the forest floor. She brushes it off reluctantly, slightly more concerned about the Knights in the area than with Kylo’s extremely strange behavior.

She creeps through the woods, pausing at every noise louder than a bird’s chirp. Rey sticks closely to the trees that have branches she can climb, just in case she happens upon one of the Knights. While it may just be blind paranoia, her nerves do calm by a fraction as she sticks close to the large trunks.

Rey crosses a small stream and then the forest floor begins to slope upwards. She decides to walk alongside the stream for a while before following the forest upwards. The water is beautiful even if the stream is small. The babbling sounds calm her, and she wants this moment of peace for just a little longer.

Her boots make hollow splashing sounds as she walks through the stream. She holds her arms out as she balances on the water-smoothed stones lining the bottom of the stream. Their colors seem richer, enhanced by the cool water. She spends a long time like this, and when she finally decides to look up she sees the slope of the forest has gotten a bit steeper. She wobbles toward the trees, nearly slipping on a couple particularly smooth stones. 

As she hops back onto dry land, she nearly stumbles when her foot makes contact with a smooth hard surface. She steadies herself, then crouches down to sweep the dirt and debris away. A faded and worn stone appears underneath all the dirt and grime. She examines the ground more closely and sees the protrusion of another stone, and another, and another. She stands, following the line of the stones with her eyes. These stones, more like steps she realizes, lead up the embankment and further on into the forest.

Rey’s twitches uncomfortably, though she knows this is an extremely lucky find. It’s more of a nervous thrill, she realizes. She squints at the trees as well as she can, and upon finding no signs of any Knights, begins to walk up the steps. 

It’s getting later in the day, and the trees are thicker here. Thick moss covers the ground almost completely, though the terrain is considerably more rocky as she moves forward. The branches of the trees are higher up so now that escape route is gone, much to Rey’s disappointment.

The stones of the forest get taller and everything seems to be covered with a sheen of moisture. Rey almost slips a few times, as the stairs wind and curve through the sea of trees and rocks.

She rounds a corner and now the stairs actually go upward, surrounded by crude stone walls. At the top of the wall to the right, she can see some ruins. Moss covers everything in small sections, dripping off the stone in splashes of deep green colors. Dead leaves are in the crevasses of the stairs themselves giving a warm glow to the green and grey colors. 

This is it. Rey takes a shaky breath as she feels a swell inside her. This is the place, she is _meant_ to be here.

Rey treads slowly up the stairs, hands on either sides of the stone walls. She can hear moisture dripping from the leaves as if it’s just rained. It’s calming, but undercut by tense feeling in the air, like the forest is holding its breath.

Rey is greeted by flat ground once again. Ahead and to the sides are crumbling walls, arches, and columns all made of the same stone. They’re spread out through the forest. Vines have wrapped themselves up and down some of the walls, and moss is everywhere.

She walks through all of it, wandering through the ruins with childlike wonder and the innate need to explore than comes from her years of scavenging. It’s quite beautiful in a strange way, but that underlying feeling of something being not quite right keeps her tugging at the back of her mind.

There is something else… _someone_ else. Rey perks up when she feels it, and immediately follows it.

She goes through an archway and finds herself in a near-circular area. The stone floor is covered in leaves and moss, the ceiling is partially gone, and the walls are covered in vines. A tree leans over the walls, branches blocking the sky.

“Rey,”

And Kylo Ren turns to face her from the other end of the room.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It’s him in the flesh. Rey knows it without a shadow of a doubt. His presence is strong in the Force, so much more than in the dreams. Her entire body buzzes with a nervous energy at the sight of him. She does her best to ignore it, but it grows stronger with each passing second.

He must have used the bond to figure out where she was. She figures he followed her here, and blocked her out to mask his presence. However, Rey is still on edge because she still doesn’t know where the Prince is.

_The Prince._

“What did you do with him?” her voice cracks as she raises it. “Where is the Prince?” She glances frantically around for a glimpse- a _sign_ of anyone else, but there is only Kylo. The hope of a better life begins slipping away.

Kylo only stares at her. His figure, draped in black fabric and armor, is even more formidable in person and Rey forces herself to stand straighter and walk toward him despite her inclination to do the opposite.

“Kylo, I need him.” she implores when he still doesn’t speak. “I need to take him back to Alderaan to-”

“To what? Earn a reward?” He cuts her off roughly. “There is no reward. There never was.” The finality in Kylo’s voice chills her to the bone. 

“That’s not true,” her voice is low, hollow.

“What did you think you would find here? The cursed Prince lost to rumor and legend?” he presses. “I thought you better than that. Even when I knew you were near Nihil I never thought you would be this naive.”

“I was guided here!” Rey protests. “I felt him! I felt… something.” she trails off at his hard stare.

“Did you.” His eyes are hard but there’s something else.

Rey swallows. “I did.”

“Then you’re just fooling yourself.” he says sharply, turning away from her.

“Or you’re just trying to fool _me_.” He turns his head. She has his attention. Rey knows she’s missing something vital but presses on anyway. “He’s here, but you’ve led me to the wrong place! You- you turned the Force against me.” She says, her voice choking at the end.

His face falls for an instant, a frown blooming on his face but he swallows hard and the mask is back again. “You know that’s not true. I’ve never lied to you, Rey.”

“Then what is this? Don’t you understand what you’re keeping me from?” Rey yells across the distance between them. She can do little to stop the tears of anger from falling. She doesn’t know why she almost feels betrayed. “You said I wasn’t alone but you seem to want me to be.” 

Kylo turns and there is hurt in his eyes, like she is somehow wounding him with her words. That’s not possible, though. It can’t be.

“I have to take him back, I have to get the reward - it’s the only way. I can’t go back to Jakku, I can’t.” she slips into hyperventilation before she can stop it. Breathing seems impossible between sobs and she clutches an arm around her chest to hold herself up before she breaks. There are so many thoughts rushing through her head, smashing into one another. “Just tell me where he is!” she pleads.

_I don’t want to go back to Jakku_

_No one is coming for me_

_He’s not here_

_I will always be nothing-_

“No. You are not nothing.” His voice shakes as he utters the words. “Rey, do you really think so low of yourself?” he asks, his figure blurry to her through her tears.

“I can’t go home. It’s impossible.” he finally says after a long silence only filled by her tears.

She holds her breath as she tries to absorb what he’s saying. She can feel his resolve waver and crack as his eyes stay trained on her.

Rey wants to reject his words, deny it completely. It can’t be that simple, it just can’t. She shakes her head at him, taking a step back. “No- no it can’t be.”

“You don’t understand what is happening here,” he says. “Or maybe you’re just choosing to ignore the signs. ”

She sees the signs now as they all begin to fall into place. How obvious they all were, and right in front of her too. The Temple being the worst of them. It fits directly into everything she was told. Burning a Temple of the Gods would be a sure way to gain their eternal ire. But cursed? Maybe plagued by dreams, she sees that now- but cursed?

Rey wipes the tear tracks off her cheeks. “You’re right, I should have seen it earlier. But Kylo, you’re not shackled to this life. You _can_ come with me.” She takes a step toward him and he frowns, following her movements. “I know you regret what you did. I’ve seen it, I’ve _felt_ your regret! It’s not too late.”

Kylo stiffens, tearing his gaze from hers. “I was the reason for the massacre at the Temple that night.” he tells her. “Snoke must have sensed my distress- my Uncle, the High Priest, tried to have me killed. He knew that I was communing with The Lord of the Underworld - it was he that sent the Knights to fetch me. I didn’t stop them when they burned the Temple to the ground.”

Rey stares at him, utterly horrified.

“I’m here by _choice_ , Rey.” he insists. “I knew exactly what I was doing when I went with them. My Grandfather walked this same path and I will follow. The master I serve has promised me rewards beyond this life if I carry out his will. I can make my own way, my _own_ legacy greater than that of my family. Don’t you see?”

“You’re mad,” she whispers. 

He steps close enough to grab her if he wishes. “There is no riddle, no magical words that can save me.” His eyes harden as something in her heart breaks. “ _I don’t want to be saved_.”

The pieces that cracked in her heart now harden into something else. “You may lie, Kylo, but not to me.” she says, her tone low. “I will always know. And I know that’s not the truth.”

Tension crackles in the space between and around them as neither dares to say another word. Their breath intermingles in the small space separating them. Tingles race up and down Rey’s spine, her whole body humming with sensation.

However, neither one of them is the first to break the tension. Instead the weather changes in an instant, darkness covering the light of the day, rolling shadows over the entire forest including the small area that they stand in. It begins in less than a second, and then darkness shrouds everything. Even darker shadows spring up from the columns to pool on the ceiling in an ominous writhing mass.

“What is this?” Rey asks, her body already priming for a fight. “Kylo?” She turns to him and he’s looking around at the shadows too, except over the bond she catches flickers of his nervousness he tries to hide away.

“He knows you’re here.” he turns to look at her.

A shriek cuts through the air, high pitched and angry. Rey jolts toward the ground, hunching over while Kylo stays perfectly still. Whatever made that noise, she does not want to run into it anytime soon.

Kylo reaches out, grabbing her wrist. “Join me, Rey.” She startles and jumps, her torso twisting away from him. Her forearm stiffens and she meets his gaze.

Another shriek pierces her hearing, this time sounding closer, and a shorter one follows. The shadows on the ceiling are writhing at a furious pace, spilling down the sides of the walls, wrapping themselves around the vines.

Rey shakes her head almost imperceptibly. “No.”

“He is more powerful than you know. With his instruction we could be even greater. Rey, don’t run from this. I can teach you.” he implores.

She is close enough to see the little gold flecks in his eyes, to feel how badly he wants her to stay. Something deep inside her soul screams for her to listen to his words and go with him. And she is tempted.

But this display of darkness feels wrong, twisted - _easy_. But she can’t - and she denies the part of her that wants to remain here and give in. She’s been a slave to Jakku her whole life. She will not be a slave to another master again.

“Kylo let go,” her voice wobbles. When he doesn’t, she rips her wrist from his grasp and he doesn’t try to stop her.

A black, clawed hand emerges from the shadows above them and grips the ceiling. Crumbling bits of ceiling fall around them as Rey takes one last glance at Kylo before turning and running back through the maze of ruins and down the mossy stairs.

She stumbles once, slipping on the stairs and careening down onto the ground beside the stones. A quick yelp escapes her lips and she hops up to continue running, worried that someone or something may have heard her. Her right arm aches and she reaches up to touch it, finding a wound of some sort instead of smooth skin. While minor, the wind as she runs stings it and she clutches a hand to that shoulder, hissing between her teeth.

A growl erupts from the trees to her right and she sprints harder, unconsciously curving more to the left as she prays for the end of the forest to appear soon.

Instead an arm appears from the shadows of a branch as she approaches it, and it takes a swipe at her. She falls backwards, knocking the wind from her lungs. Rey watches on in horror as another arm appears... then a head, torso, and legs until finally an entire humanoid creature with those wicked claws appears high above, clinging to the trunk of the tree.

Rey scrambles to her feet, the glowing red eyes of the creature following her as she quietly steps around the tree, trying to continue forward on her original path.

It opens its mouth and the screech that comes forth is the loudest yet and Rey has to cover her ears with her hands as she turns and bolts away from the creature. Rey doesn’t dare look back. The leaves and trees behind her creak and rustle as the creature gives chase. Two more howls echo in the distance and a shriek sounds off behind her, too close for comfort.

Rey’s breath is hitching, coming in small pants as she begins to tire. She tries not to panic, but it’s hard to keep calm when her breathing is shallow and her heart is ready to pump out of her chest.

A hulking creature emerges from her left, roaring and jumping straight for her. Rey pulls her staff out just in time to block the creature’s claws from impaling her. It rears back and swipes at her with deadly precision. Rey raises her staff with the intent to block, but this time it’s ready for her. Her staff shatters into two clean pieces in the middle - becoming absolutely useless due to the enormous reach of the creature - it would slash her before she even got close with what’s left of the staff. Left with few options, Rey heaves both pieces straight at the creature’s head. They both bounce off comically, doing nothing to stop its approach. 

In desperation she mentally reaches out and slams everything she has against Kylo’s end of the bond. Rey feels his surprise and she rushes in like water breaking through a dam. She latches on to his strength and uses it to propel her feet forward to freedom. He’s confused at her unexpected appearance, and she doesn’t feel any regret when she feels him weaken as her strength returns.

Ahead the forest ends, she can see the edge of the treeline now. She yanks herself out of Kylo’s mind as she surges through the trees, slamming her mental walls back into place. She doesn’t allow herself to dwell on how he physically recoiled as she did so. She just focuses on careening safely out of the treeline.

Rey flies out of the woods and over the road, running straight across and into the field across from the forest. When the only thing she can hear is the wind whistling past her, she turns around. Multiple pairs of red eyes stare out from behind the treeline, and one by one they wink out.

She runs and runs and runs until she can’t anymore, past fields and small trees until the moon is far past its highest point in the sky. She collapses, dry heaving on the ground when her over exhaustion catches up to her in full. Pushing her body past it’s limits by taking Kylo’s strength has taken a severe toll.

When her arms give out, she succumbs to unconsciousness, lulled by the familiar sound of crashing waves echoing in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, that was a lot of story for today!
> 
> We have some dream sharing, pears and Rey is on her feet a lot. I probably should have her get some more shoes soon. Or like, sit down.
> 
> I freaking love the Knights of Ren sldfjslkdjf. I probably don't have to tell you that I was extremely disappointed with their roles in TRoS (RIP to my boys, I loved you to the end). I gave them more period-accurate names for this story and a bigger(ish) role because guess what - I already love them and if I had actual plot ideas I would write a novel about them lmao. As I finish editing the next chapter I'll put links up so you can see which Knight is which. Kudos to anyone who can tell which Knight is my favorite lol.
> 
> What are y'all thinking so far? I'm super excited to hear what you all think! See you on the 20th for the last chapter!


	3. PART III

She’s back in her hovel, and it’s past time to get up. It’s much too bright - she’s slept for far too long. Plutt won’t pay her well if she comes back late.

Rey licks her chapped lips, tasting the salt spray in the air. Her eyes are tight and swollen, and it's very begrudgingly that she opens them. She rubs her eyelids when the brightness of daylight hurts. When she opens them again, a seagull passes in front of her view and Rey has to blink a few times before she can see anything else clearly. Her muscles are screaming and tired and it takes a concerning amount of effort to be able to sit up.

Everything is forgotten when she sees that she’s surrounded by tall marram grass. Rey swivels around, gasping and ready to spring up in an instant. This isn’t Jakku.

_ Where am I? _

It takes a moment of frantic thought before everything comes back to her in full. She sighs heavily, laying back down in the grass with her limbs splayed.

The waves sound far away, the constant crashing was what initially confused her and now is background to her winding thoughts. There must be a clifface nearby. She smells the ocean for sure, but what confuses her is the aroma of cooking meat wafting through the salty smell.  _ I must be hallucinating _ , she thinks until the smell gets stronger. How long has it been since she’s had a warm meal, or water? She can’t think of the last time she had either.

She sits up as her stomach gives a traitorous growl in response to the delicious scent. There is a cliff to her right, and it stretches on and on and on. All around her is covered in marram grass that sways in the wind. The gravely ground seems to do nothing to hinder the plants or grass from growing. Behind her in the distance along the cliff’s edge, she can see some huts made of stone, and from somewhere in between them a tell-tale column of smoke wafts upward. Rey’s mouth involuntarily begins to water.

Rey worries because she doesn’t have her staff, but her hand brushes the hilt of her sword and she breathes a little easier. If she’s quiet, she may not need to use it.

Resorting to stealing is something she had hoped she would never have to do again, but she reminds herself that this is an hour of desperation. Surely it won’t matter. Her stomach cramps, uncomfortably burning, and she stands on shaky feet. The pain of moving will be worth the food she’ll be eating in a minute.

Her feet move, one foot in front of the other. It takes too much effort. By the time she reaches the first hut, Rey is practically pleading with the powers above that no one is around to notice her clunky attempts at sneaking. As luck would have it, no one notices the wobbling scavenger with a sword weaving her way through the stone huts.

Rey follows her nose until she reaches a circular open area. In the middle is a spit with some sort of bird roasting evenly above an open flame. It’s a perfect golden brown and tender enough that the juices are sliding off the meat. It smells  _ divine _ , and Rey has to forcefully stop herself from throwing herself at the meat. Instead, she stands quietly, listening for the sound of people. After a few seconds of absolute silence, Rey shrugs to herself and lifts the spit with the bird away from the flames to cool.

The first bite is like tasting nectar from the heavens. The bird is just as tender as it looks and then some. Rey moans a little as she chews, swallows, and goes in for another bite.

“Well, I’m glad at least someone is enjoying my breakfast.” says a dry male voice from behind her. 

Rey freezes mid-bite. She swivels around to see a grey-haired old man smiling wryly at her. His white robes are frayed but the grey cloak around his shoulders gives him somewhat of a mysterious air. He wears a gold pendant with the very familiar image of a wiry tree in the middle.

He chuckles at her as her eyes go wide. “You have some explaining to do, but I’ll let you finish breakfast first.”

* * *

  
  


Rey finishes the bird, though she does so half-heartedly. The man is polite, asking her basic questions and finding out that she’s from Jakku, she’s a scavenger and that she just came from Nihil. To her immense relief, she manages to avoid mentioning Kylo.

“Nihil,” the man in front of her says contemplatively. “That’s quite a ways from here. Not a place for a young woman. Though, you seem to be more than just a young woman.” he says with a knowing tone. An unfamiliar presence brushes the edge of her mind and she physically stiffens. Luke only chuckles. “I thought so. For being untrained, you seem to have a grasp on things.”

Rey wipes her mouth with her arm. “No offense, but who are you? Are you a Priest?” She looks around at the crude huts, eyeing them dubiously. “This seems like a strange place for a Temple.”

He huffs, his mood visibly darkening. “In another life,” he admits. “I’m just Luke Sky-Walker now.”

“What happened?” Rey presses.

Luke looks at her for a while, something about his expression seeming familiar to Rey. “Have you ever heard of Anakin Sky-Walker?”

Rey shakes her head at him. She knows the name Sky-Walker from her vision but that’s it. She’s never heard of this Anakin before.

“I thought not,” he says, pressing on. “Anakin was my father. He was a very powerful man. He was born with unique qualities - much like you and I. Some would call him a gift from the Gods, though that would not always be the case. He was discovered as a young boy by some Priests and taken from a life of slavery to train in the Temples of the Gods. ” Luke picks up a stick to stoke the fire, turning a log over and letting it catch flame.

“After, when he was older, he secretly married a beautiful noblewoman - my mother.” he smiles up at her. “Kingdoms were at war then and he was a cunning warrior who fought for freedom. Ironic that he would fall and become a slave to a being that sought power above all else.”

Rey wants to ask who it was, but he stops talking the same moment her mouth is full - so instead she frowns at him, pausing her chewing.

He chuckles at her - she’s sure she’s quite a sight with her matted hair and mouthful of bird. “Hades, Death, Master, Emperor - all titles for whoever holds the seat of power in the Underworld.”

“Whoever?” Rey isn’t done chewing but she can’t help the word that spills out of her mouth.

“There’s a line of succession - if you can call it that.” Rey can sense his distaste, it practically bleeds from his words and into the Force. “It’s a title that has and always will be killed for. Usually by someone close to Hades. My father was seduced to the dark by the Emperor of his time. Anakin was promised a great many things, including the power to save his wife from death.”

“Did he?” Rey asks curiously.

“No, she died giving birth to twins - my sister and I. My father fell even deeper into Hades's clutches after she passed. He eventually did kill his Master, but at the cost of his own life. He did it to save me.”

Luke reaches over and plucks the empty spit from Rey’s lap, and sticks it in the fire. Both watch as the last scraps of meat are burned off the metal, cleansing it.

“I started a Temple, to train others like my sister Leia and I, and like my father - to keep others like us away from the voices of the dark.”

Luke finishes with the metal spit, placing it back on the prongs above the fire. “When Leia sent her young son Ben to me, I could tell right away there was something different about the boy. I sensed a deep anger in him. One night I sensed a malevolent presence while he slept and when I looked in his mind, I saw what I had feared the most. He had already fallen for the seductions of the Underworld.”

Luke pauses before continuing. “I regret what happened next. I’m sure it seemed to Ben that I had gone mad and come to murder him in his sleep. Regardless, I never had time to explain - he pulled the ceiling of his chambers down on us, and when I came to, the Temple was burning around me and Ben Solo was gone with a handful of the students. The rest were slaughtered. It was afterward that I found out the Knights of Ren from the Underworld had come to collect Ben on orders from their master Snoke.”

The wind from the sea whispers past them both, and Rey can almost hear the sound of screams echoing faintly as if a distant memory. “So you came here - after?”

He nods. “I exiled myself because I failed them all - even Ben. There’s never a day that I don’t think of what could have been done to save my students.”

Silence lapses over them both, and Rey stares into the flames.  _ Ben Solo _ … It’s so jarring to picture Kylo with that name. She’s seen glimpses, hidden away in the little moments like when he told her she wasn’t alone - when he allows himself to  _ feel _ . 

Rey fiddles with her hands. Maybe she is a bit naive. Maybe this is too much for a girl from Jakku to handle.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she admits, Luke turning to her as she speaks. “I feel like I’m trapped in a shifting dream and that I’ll just wake up and be in my hut on the beach again. I just wanted some coin to earn a better life and somehow ended up here.”

“This is a lot for any one person to handle.” Luke agrees. “Especially for one who stumbled into it as you did. But I also think you know there is more to this than just what the eye can see.” He reaches around his neck and takes off the tree pendant, taking one of her hands and gently wrapping it around the necklace. It’s warm, and feels right but differently than when she held the sword. “There is nothing I could tell you that you don’t already know. You have everything you need” He gestures at her sword. “I haven’t seen that old thing in some time. I’m glad it’s getting some use.”

Rey tilts her head in surprise. “You know this sword?”

He smirks in a way that reminds her of Kylo. “Of course. It used to be mine.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Luke shows her to a hut, gracious enough to let her stay for the night while she recovers. He also shows her a path down the cliff to the sea so she can bathe in peace. The water is frigid, but it’s therapeutic to strip off the dirt and memories of violence from her skin with every wash of the waves. 

As she hikes back up to her hut, the sun dips below the horizon. Night falls, and Rey automatically grows sleepy to the sound of the ocean below. Trudging into the hut, she notes how bare it is. There is a slab with a pillow and blanket and she immediately curls up, pulling the blanket over her. 

As she relaxes, the bond begins to stir. Rey doesn’t need to cast herself that far into the bond to feel the sting of hurt that comes from him. The bond itself feels sore and tender, most likely to her antics during the escape from the forest. Rey begins to close the connection, but decides against it when nothing happens. She can feel the hum of the bond as it twitches and miraculously begins to feel less sore with every passing second.

When she slips into dreams it's seamless - one moment she’s lying on the rock shelf, the next she’s lying down under the tree in front of the burning Temple. Rey is still clutching the medallion and it feels like a million pounds in her hand. She shoves it quickly into a pocket in her trousers as she stands up.

Rey stares longer this time at the Temple now that she knows it’s secrets. She hears the echoes again, the screams and the clashing of metal as she watches the dancing flames. Something twists in her gut now. The knowledge is heavy - it’s not hers to bear but secrets have their ways of taking a toll regardless. Her shoulders slump.

There is a calm in the air here. It reminds her of how the ocean calms just before a storm - suspiciously peaceful. Kylo isn’t in his usual spot - she can’t see any sign of him and a part of her is grateful. A different part of her rebels at the notion of being alone. Rey hasn’t been in this dream by herself before, and the thought is gloomy. She prays that the dream doesn’t drag on for  _ too _ long tonight.

Rey leans back against the smooth bark of the tree, grateful for something to rest against. It’s a lazy feeling, knowing she just has to wait this dream out until she wakes up. She can do anything - go anywhere here but for some unknown reason, she likes the peace of this spot. Morbid as it is, the fire of the Temple is soothing now. After so many nights, it fades into the background like anything else here. Does it jar her when she first arrives? Yes. However, it turns into a calming noise in the background after a while.

Rey reclines her head back further and closes her eyes. She can’t fall deeper into sleep and escape this place, but she can meditate. She doesn’t even really want to escape right now. With the smell of the ocean wafting up from below, the fresh smell of the trees, the warm glow of the Temple, and the familiar night sky, Rey is perfectly content to stay put for the whole night.

Her right leg begins to cramp up so she shuffles about until she’s in a cross-legged position and her muscles sigh in relief. Rey floats away again on thoughts of nothing, gently manipulating wafts of the Force that brush past her. She slips into a state of hyper awareness, and it’s wonderful to feel everything yet nothing all at once.

In the midst of the neutral tendrils, a small dark curl of energy disturbs her peaceful reflection. Rey frowns, reaching out for it. The dark gets thicker and bigger the more she follows it, and she follows it until she mentally smacks into a vortex of dark. Rey’s eyes shoot open but mentally doesn’t retreat - even when she begins to feel a very familiar presence in the eye of the storm.

Kylo is not anywhere near, but he’s still in the dream with her. She’d know his foul mood anywhere, and it seems she is the target of it once more.

She feels him nudge her end of the bond and with a sigh, she lets him through.

_ “What is it, Kylo?”  _ she mentally projects. She’s not sure if it will work.

_ “As I recall it was you who disturbed me, scavenger.”  _ he testily replies.

So it does work, then. She sighs again, a seemingly common reaction around him. _ “Back to scavenger now, are we?”  _ she asks. A spike of irritation pulses along the bond and Rey snorts.

“ _ And I was just beginning to think that I was to have a reprieve from our regular interactions. _ ” he grumbles.

“ _ I was just thinking the same thing _ .” she agrees.

They lapse into silence and Rey senses that he too is meditating. It shouldn’t be shocking, but she wasn’t expecting someone who uses the Force for nefarious purposes to be sitting and meditating. There is the fact that the Force is darker and heavier around him, but while she can sense the difference, Rey finds it doesn’t particularly bother her, even when some of the tendrils drift over and curl around her. 

Usually one of them would cut the connection by now, but Rey decides not to. Kylo seems to not mind the open bond either, regardless of his earlier protest. The bond being open feels like the relief she would feel after stretching a cramped muscle, the cramped muscle in this case being the bond when closed. At this thought the bond actually twitches, as if in protest. Rey and Kylo both shuffle at the uncomfortable sensation.

“ _ You...don’t mind it? The dark? _ ” he asks, intrigued by her nonchalant acceptance as more tendrils reach out to her from his side.

Rey opens her eyes and suddenly she can see him a few paces away. Of course, he’s not really there, but it feels real enough that Rey wonders if she could just reach out and touch him. She glances down, clenching her hand instead.

“ _ It’s stifling. _ ” she replies, feeling the distinct weight of every dark strand around her. “ _ I don’t think I could immerse myself completely, but in moderation it’s all right. _ ”

Kylo doesn’t reply right away. Rey can feel him mulling her words over. 

She opens her eyes, taking in the dark knight mentally stripped down to her. It’s strange to know that she could potentially read his every thought at any moment. At first glance he seems peaceful, but the twitch in his jaw and under his eye tells a different story.

“ _ Why do you hold on to it _ ?” she asks curiously and without thinking. “ _ The dark _ .”

Kylo doesn’t react, but Rey can feel the discomfort from him at this line of questioning.

“ _ Is it because of the Lord of the Underworld? Your master? _ ”

Now his eyes open, catching hers in a very intense gaze. “ _ I am the right hand of  _ Snoke _ , and he has taught me many secrets of the dark in return for my loyalty. What he has promised me is beyond what even  _ you _ could imagine. _ ” he replies stiffly.

“ _ What could he have possibly offered you that would make you give up everything? _ ” Rey asks, growing angry. She would give anything for what he  _ willingly _ tossed aside.

His eyes are boring holes into her head with how hard he is staring now. “ _ What do you mean? _ ”

“ _ The Temple! _ ” Rey throws out an arm, pointing to the burning building. “ _ Your family! You had everything and you destroyed a good life just to chase the promise of power?! _ ” she exclaims, flying on wings of fury. 

“ _ I am finishing what my Grandfather started! _ ” he retorts. “ _ Vader served the Underworld but he never had the kind of power I will achieve. _ ”

“ _ That’s an excuse and you know it! _ ” she insists. “ _ This doesn’t need to be your legacy, Ben. Nothing is set in stone.” _

He looks shaken. “ _ Who told you that name? _ ” The darkness around him begins to lessen a little.

Rey shuffles, pulling a leg up to her chest and wrapping her arms around it. “It doesn’t matter. I know everything. I understand why you did what you did.” she says softly out loud, resting her chin on her knee. “It wasn’t fair what Luke did to you, but in the end you do have a choice, you know.”

Rey wonders if he’s ever going to stop staring at her. His dark eyes are getting too intense for her liking and she breaks contact, a strange flush creeping over her as her stomach flips.

Kylo’s voice sounds like its seconds away from cracking and when she looks up at him, his eyes are fierce with emotion. “You’re right, I left it all behind. I started over. I suggest you do too.”

“I tried,” she reminds him and the edges of her vision begin to blur as she returns to the world of the waking.

  
  


* * *

Luke casually tells her over breakfast that she should go down to the beach and get some fresh air - maybe even go swimming.

“When was the last time you stopped to rest, Rey? One cannot hope to commune with the Force when their emotions are balancing on the tip of a knife.” he insists before a protest can even leave her lips. She cannot deny her haggard state, physically and emotionally. She helps Luke clean before begrudgingly climbing down to the soft sand.

To her complete surprise, Kylo appears to her as she starts walking across the beach.

“Don’t worry, I won’t ask any more questions,” she says defensively. “I just want to enjoy one nice, peaceful day.”

Kylo seems to ignore her, instead his face contorts like he’s smelling something very unpleasant. “Are you by the sea?”

“Why? Do you have something against it?” Rey asks already feeling this calm day slipping out of her grasp. She keeps walking. When Kylo doesn’t reply, she stops and turns around. “You do,” she says incredulously.

He just grimaces, walks over to a rock, and sits down.

Rey rolls her eyes, accepting that he’s not in the mood to be sociable. It’s a sort of uneasy coexistence with an underlying  _ something _ to it. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than it was and Rey accepts it for what it is. At least they haven’t yelled or drawn swords yet.

It's quite awkward to try and enjoy the familiar environment of the waterfront with Kylo sitting silently nearby, watching her every move. After a few tense minutes Rey just huffs to herself and continues on like she planned on doing before he appeared. 

The ocean waves are loud, crashing against huge grey rocks sticking out of the water near the shoreline. Smaller waves wash up along the dark sand of the beach, making it even darker. In a moment of impulsiveness, Rey kicks off her boots and shoves her toes in the sand just as a wave washes up around her ankles. It feels glorious and she smiles up at the sun, relishing in all the sensations. She turns back and Kylo is watching her with a carefully neutral expression. 

"What?" She asks as he keeps his eyes trained on her. “It feels good.” Rey enthusiastically wiggles her toes as the next wave hits and a little flush of red appears on his cheekbones. He clears his throat loudly and looks away.

Rey brushes off his strange behavior in favor of looking around some more. This beach is so much different than Jakku. She never really got to enjoy the beaches there since every waking moment was dedicated to survival but here, it’s different. It feels more open, more free. There are small chubby birds that nest on the cliff outcroppings. They caw into the air with abandon and she laughs as a few of them chase each other in the sky.

“This is what I wished Jakku was like,” she says startling herself as the words pour out. “There’s so much life here.”

Kylo doesn’t respond - her enthusiasm met with utter silence. Rey purses her lips and kicks her foot through the next wave, sending a surge of water toward Kylo. It hits, and the front of his clothes and down his left arm is covered with water. Rey loses her composure at the annoyed expression he shoots her and she doubles over laughing gasping for air. The withering glare he sends her propels her into another fit of giggles and she falls to her knees - just as another wave washes up onto the shore. In seconds Rey is drenched from head to toe. She sputters as her nose and mouth are filled with salty water but ends up laughing, rolling over onto her back and splaying her limbs out over the sand.

Rey tilts her head up and she sees the ghost of a smile on Kylo’s lips. The discomfort between them is lessening. The bond hums steadily and Rey admits to herself that this isn’t so bad after all.

With only her lower half in the water since the tide is going out, Rey begins to doze comfortably in the sand. When she wakes up late in the afternoon, Kylo is on the ground too, leaning against the rock he was sitting on, with his eyes closed. She sits up, rubbing her eyes as she tries to shove away the drowsiness left over from the nap.

“You don’t have to stay,” she says, trying to stifle a yawn and failing miserably.

“I know,” he replies, not moving. When he doesn’t go, or even open his eyes, Rey tries to hide a smile.

Rey feels the urge to move but her staff is gone, so she can’t practice sparing. She picks up rocks and begins throwing them out as far as she can, but after a while she’s beyond bored and fidgety.

“Stop,” Kylo’s eyes are still closed. “I can feel your restlessness from here.”

At his words, Rey scans the beach until she finds what she’s looking for. She runs a ways away and snatches up a couple pieces of firm driftwood that are about the size and weight of weapons and runs back to where he is.

“Kylo,” his eyes open just in time to see a piece of wood soaring on a collision course toward him and he snatches it out of the air.

Rey takes a clear sparring stance and he frowns up at her.

“I would normally do this by myself, but since you’re here…” she admits, trailing off and shrugging one shoulder.

“It isn’t a good idea,” he states, not moving.

“ _ Kylo _ ,” she implores the corner of her mouth twitching, tilting her head. “We’re both here anyway.”

He looks ruffled and somehow even more tired than usual as he slowly stands up. Rey almost reconsiders as she takes in how damn tall he is. Rey grumbles internally at herself for even noticing.

Open reluctance is coming off Kylo in waves as he takes his opening stance. Rey is hyper aware of the scar bisecting his face - the scar she put there. However, she can’t take anything too seriously when he’s clutching a piece of driftwood. She snickers and rushes forward to swing.

Rey is proud of the fact that all her practicing on the Joppa roads pays off - Kylo is certainly on his toes the entire time but so is she. They don’t take it easy on each other but they aren’t swinging to kill and Rey relishes every moment.

Whether he means to or not, Kylo likes to comment on little things like her posture or form.

“You’re rushing,” he says as she steps forward, overcommitting to a stab. “If we were dueling I would have taken your arm.”

Rey steps back, panting. “And we’re not dueling now?”

“Dueling with actual weapons.” he corrects. “Fighting with steel is different than a quarterstaff, though you are quickly learning. Again.” He lunges forward.

Rey tries not to preen too much at the complement as she sinks into a defensive stance.

She would begrudgingly admit it, but her attacks are smoother and with the help of the bond she feels like she majorly improves by the time the sun is setting.

Afterwards, she plops down on the sand exhausted. Kylo is sweaty, his hair damp and skin flushed. Rey blames it on the high of the fight when she stares just a bit too long at him as he catches his breath. It actually takes effort to look away because she can truly see the regal man now in the dark knight.

Rey tosses the branch into the sea on impulse, watching the waves carry it further and further away from the shore until she can’t see it anymore.

“Kylo-” she turns but he’s gone. The bond is stretched tight again with his absence, but for the first time it stays open on both ends. She can feel the disappointment coming from his side of the bond as well at his departure and on impulse Rey does her best to send him a mental image of the blazing colorful sunset in front of her, wrapping the bond in the warmth and her contentment.

Fondness blossoms on the other side of the bond. It’s a small and quiet emotion, but that doesn’t stop a genuine smile from growing on her face when she feels it. And if Luke finds her exceptionally good mood strange when she joins him for dinner, he doesn’t mention it.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The next day Luke has Rey help with some basic chores, herb gathering, starting a fire, going out in a small boat to catch some fish and then teaching her how to fry them. When they sit down to eat, they’re perfectly moist and flaky. 

Luke sneaks off as she’s cleaning up, and after she’s done she finds him meditating by the cliffs. She sneaks up, treading softly toward him and sits down, crossing her legs like before. The Force is beautiful here, so rich in life that Rey is easily distracted. Luke, sensing this, offers his help in his own gruff way.

He runs her through some basic meditation techniques and finding balance has never been easier. Luke is a very excellent teacher, Rey thinks.

After a fair amount of time, Luke gets up and heads back to the huts. He begins what looks like repairs to the huts and Rey takes that as her cue. At his instruction, she begins moving extra stone to where he is from a large pile that Luke points her to. Rey’s muscles are still sore from sparring, so when she makes a simple misstep on a rock, her whole leg decides to give way - sending her straight to the ground. The stone that was in her hands hovers instead of falling with her like it should. Rey stares at it, dumbfounded. Luke just sighs, putting down his tools and walking over to pluck the stone from the air. After shaking his head and helping her up, he sits them down and teaches her how to  _ properly _ use the Force - and how to control it. He does it begrudgingly, but he still does it nonetheless. 

Rey discovers how cynical he really is, but at the same time she has a respect for how neutral he keeps his views of the Force. His words ring with true to her. After a long reprimanding talk where Luke reminds her that the Force is not just for “lifting rocks”, he sends Rey off to do whatever she pleases for the rest of the afternoon.

Rey makes it about halfway through the village before a sudden wave of pain washes over her body, searing down her back and bringing her to her knees with a yell. Luke runs over a minute later, helping her to her feet as another shockwave rolls through her. It’s gone in an instant, leaving confusion in its wake.

Rey does a quick assessment - nothing is broken, nothing feels wrong and the food she ate was minimal and Luke had it too. Nothing should be causing this.

Unless the pain wasn’t hers.

Rey flies through the bond, and recoils as a wall of pain blocks her from Kylo. Inky opaque darkness unlike anything she’s ever felt shields his mind from her. Kylo’s presence is faint, but she can feel him there, on the other side of the black emptiness. 

Rey reaches through the darkness using strength she didn’t even know she had and  _ pulls _ .

Kylo appears on the ground in front of her and Luke. He looks horrible, his hair greasy with sweat and his coloring too pale. He is huddled on his side, curled up tightly.

“Ben?” Rey calls out to him, not caring if Luke thinks she’s crazy.

His eyes glaze over in terror and a sliver of pure fear slides through the bond as he screams out in pain, though Rey can’t see any clear cause. 

“Kylo!” She lurches away from Luke and runs over to Ben, falling to her knees. Just as she’s about to touch him he disappears.

“No!” Just as Rey’s hand sinks to the ground, she feels the remnants of a malevolent presence. Images flash in front of her eyes - a river swirling with night, hollow skeletal eyes... and Kylo kneeling in front of a disfigured man who radiates dark power - who steps back to sit atop a jet black throne. Rey jolts back as the images tear themselves from her mind. Just as she’s about to panic she pulls the Force toward her, wrapping herself in it. Clarity flares in her mind like a flame in darkness. She knows what she has to do.

Rey turns to face Luke. “How do I get to the Underworld?” 

  
  


* * *

  
  


After taking the time to explain the entire story to Luke, Rey has very little patience to spare. Luke makes it very clear he’s against her going, but it's when he refuses to tell her how to get to the Underworld that Rey loses her temper. It ends with him on the ground and her sword at his neck. 

“You have no idea what’s awaiting you,” he warns.

She lifts the tip of the blade to his chin, and then sheathes the sword. “And you have no idea what I’m capable of.” Rey states with finality. 

Defiance shines for a second in the old man’s eyes before being replaced with resignation. He gets to his feet and walks into a hut Rey hasn’t been in before. He comes out with an old bound book, the pages frayed and ripped. He opens it and directs her to a page with an illustration, almost like a map.

“There is a cave to the North, well hidden. Go inside and use this as your guide.” he instructs, handing her the book. She has a feeling he’s holding back more words of warning but she is grateful when he says no more.

Rey nods at him after she grabs her things from her hut. He nods back, watching her trek across the landscape until she’s no more than a dot on the horizon.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Rey finds the cave after a few days of restless nights filled with nightmares of the black creatures of Nihil, the man on the black throne, and the endless sea that she cannot escape. By the time she finds the formation of rocks from Luke’s book, her eyes are bloodshot and her chest hurts from the bond. She’s closed her side off but the hurt radiating from his end penetrates through even that.

Rey takes a deep breath of fresh air before wiggling through the small opening between two boulders. The entrance is nearly imperceptible and its tight space would be enough to drive anyone mad. Rey feels like she’s about to be crushed and just before she’s about to lose herself to panic she wiggles one last time and falls onto a dusty, rocky floor.

Light flares from her hip and Rey scramble to unsheath her sword which is now impressively flaming from the blade. She manages to toss it away from herself and miraculously neither she nor her clothes have caught flames. The blade merrily burns a few feet away from her on the cave floor and as the fire illuminates the area, Rey sees that the cave continues on, sloping downward.

Rey pulls herself off the ground and scoops up the sword, holding it up to illuminate the way as she follows the cave. Since there is no sun, Rey treks for what seems like forever through the winds and twists. The blue glow of the sword swirls around her and she has to catch herself a few times when she stops just to stare blankly at the flames.

Finally the passageway levels out and she steps out into a huge cavern. Enormous doesn’t even begin to describe the view in front of her - the cave ceiling goes higher than she could possibly see and it stretches out endlessly in every direction.

Rey raises her sword to get a better view. Directly in front of her is a field of dark grey wheat. Although there is no wind, the stalks of grain wave silently. It’s eerie enough to send a small shiver down Rey’s spine.

With no landmarks or any sign of where to go next, Rey steps into the field. Nothing adverse happens so she takes this as a sign and continues on her journey. 

The people appear not long after that. They trudge in endless circles, wandering aimlessly through the fields. Rey takes great care to not touch any of them, though they pay her no mind at all.

Halfway through the field, she hears that familiar clanking of armor and the blood drains from her face. It’s at least one of the Knights, and by the sound of it they’re very very close.

_ The sword. _

Rey shakes the sword frantically, trying to get rid of the flames but it’s no use. Her breathing hitches as the precious seconds tick by. Surely the Knight will have seen her by now. She takes a deep breath to try and calm herself, and lets the Force flow through her, extinguishing the flames of the blade.

All is dark and quiet, except for the soft movements of the people around her. Rey sighs in relief as she sheathes her sword.

“What have we here?” A gravelly voice startles her as a very strong hand spins her around, keeping a tight grip on her upper arm. The hand that’s not on her is carrying a lit torch, which illuminates a very familiar scythe strapped to the back of her captor.

The Knight of Ren leans in so close that Rey can see every single scratch on his strange mask. “The Supreme Leader will be very pleased to see you,” his voice is laced with dark glee that makes Rey shrink away from him.

She struggles as he hauls her forward keeping her arm at such an angle that she can’t go for her sword. “Where is Kylo?”

“Cease your attempts at escaping,” the Knight states firmly. “ _ Kylo Ren _ has an audience with the Supreme Leader, and you are going to be joining him.”

“Like hell,” Rey spits, struggling as much as she can. A firm twist of his arm seconds later sends a searing with pain up her shoulder, and she stops. Rey resigns herself to stumbling alongside him since she knows she’ll need her strength soon.

He leads her out of the field, past a man pushing a boulder of immense size, and right by another man in a pool of dark water with the branches of a vibrant fruit tree hanging just out of his reach. There are many more but Rey decides not to look. There is so much to be distracted by, but there is only one person she came here for.

They reach a pair of gigantic towering doors, carved straight into the rock of the cavern wall. As they approach, the doors swing inward, opening the way to them. The hollow eyes of the carved skulls in the doors stare at them as they pass.

They enter a sizable room, roughly carved out of the stone. Jagged walls curve inward and at the far end of the room, raised on a dais, is a massive throne carved out of black stone. Above, grey clouds cover the ceiling, and sparking shrieking lightning punctures through the darkness every few moments. Standing around the room every few feet are pale guards with red robes and eyes of pure white. Their arms are folded in front of them and they all have at least one visible weapon.

On the throne itself is a tall man with a hideously disfigured face in ornate golden robes that stand out against the cold colors of the room. His presence oozes darkness and something else that makes Rey instantly wary. She recognizes him from her vision immediately. This must be Snoke, the Supreme Leader and Lord of the Underworld.

“Thanasis Ren,” Snoke drawls. “I see you’ve brought me a prize.”

“I found her in the Fields of Asphodel, Supreme Leader.” Thanasis calls out over the distance, dragging her closer and closer. They’re about the middle of the room now, closer than she would like to be to the throne and the man on it. “She came for him, just like you said.”

Thanasis throws her roughly to the ground, and her knees take a beating as they hit the unforgiving rock floor. In front of her by the stairs of the dais is a crumpled figure -  _ Kylo. _

He looks the very image of a fallen angel, beautiful even in defeat. His mask is gone, shattered to pieces by his splayed feet, but he is covered in the rest of his full battle regalia. His skin is even whiter than before, slick with sweat and Rey's breath catches in her throat until she realizes that he's still breathing. He's broken, but not gone. She breathes a sigh of relief as the man on the throne stands.

"You, girl, have been a vile  _ poison _ since the day you were conceived." His voice thunders through the room.

Rey bristles at his tone. Lord of the Underworld or not, he has no right to address her this way. "I don't see how that's possible, as I have never heard of you... until recently."

“That’s hard to believe,” he says in a very self-assured manner. “Unless…” he pauses and Rey feels claws curling around her mind. His technique is sharp, with no regard for her comfort but she refuses to cry out as he carves his way through her mind. “A non-believer?” he chuckles as the claws retract, turning to her with a smile that is anything but kind. “That’s quite ironic, isn’t it.”

In front of her Kylo begins to stir, his eyebrows drawing together as if he’s fighting for consciousness.

“Ironic that a child born of the Force doesn’t believe in the powers that be.” Snoke continues, pulling her closer with the Force until she’s only just beyond reach of Kylo.

Rey would love to say that his words don’t affect her, that she’s made peace with her unknown heritage long ago. However out of his words springs curiosity. 

“The Force?” she whispers out. Rey feels like the air in her chest has gone. 

“Darkness rises, and light to meet it. When my apprentice grew stronger the Gods deemed it necessary to create an equal.” Snokes disapproval is evident in his sneer as he speaks. “However, he has gravely disappointed me. He kept secrets from me, his master.” He snarls down at where Ben lays. Rey’s heart drops as she looks down at Ben, still stirring but not awake. “Loyalty is all I ask. Loyalty, in exchange for power beyond measure. And yet that was not enough for the great  _ Kylo Ren _ .” He says the name mockingly, and Rey’s blood boils.

She prods through the bond as Snoke speaks, nudging Kylo’s consciousness as subtly as she can. Snoke stops, quirking his head to the side and raising a hand. Rey’s entire body freezes.

“I know of the bond, young Rey.” He says, holding her gaze with his cruel eyes.

“Then you know I’m not leaving without him.” Rey meets his gaze as defiantly as she can. She’s terrified, but she won’t give this man the satisfaction of showing fear.

He  _ laughs _ at her. “Young fool, if you think that I would just let you leave with my apprentice, you are  _ gravely _ mistaken.” Rey begins to move again and not of her own volition. Her feet hover above the ground, and she is dragged right up to the throne just as Snoke sits down again. He grabs her face with a clawed hand.

“You are a thorn in my side. Too powerful for your own good. But you may yet be useful.” he releases her and she is thrown down the stairs, landing next to Kylo in a crumpled heap.

Her face flares with heat. How could Kylo have subjected himself to this kind of servitude? Rey is filled with a kind of righteous fury she's never experienced before. She may be a scavenger but that is world's above the kind of servitude Snoke has to offer.

Beside her, Kylo groans as he moves his head. His eyes screw shut in pain and he rolls over, pushing himself to his hands and knees panting heavily. As he stands up, he and Rey lock eyes. She can feel the stirrings of surprise from his end of the bond at her presence. It quickly morphs into desperation and Rey catches a small feeling of possessiveness before turning her attention back to Snoke.

"My traitorous apprentice," Snoke sneers. "Awake at last. We have a visitor." He motions at Rey.

"Why did you come?" Kylo asks her, sweat beading on his forehead.

"You know why." Rey murmurs.

"You shouldn't have."

"Well I did."

"Enough," thunders Snoke from above them. "I tire of this, and of you, boy."

Kylo's eye twitches as Snoke's hand moves and he's forced to his knees.

"No!" Rey snarls, reaching out to the nearest weapon and summoning it to her. The weapon flies to her and she grabs it out of the air in a two-handed grip. Red light flares through the room as Kylo's sword bursts into crackling red flames in her hands.

Snoke laughs as the lighting above crackles more intensely than before. “You can’t fight me, child, just as you can’t fight the fates. His fate was sealed long ago, just as the Gods decided yours."

“You’re wrong,” she spits. “You underestimate me. And Ben Solo.”

“No,” Snoke leans back. “I placed too much stock in the bloodline of Vader, and for that I can admit my oversight. But the Gods have seen fit to bless me with an even better prize.” 

Snoke stares intently at her as she glares at him. “Kill him and join me. With your gifts we can rise far beyond what this world has to offer.”

Rey's mouth drops open. Ben turns his head slowly to look at her as she looks down on him in horror.

The cold clawing presence returns to her head as Snoke intrudes into her mind.

"You want this," he hisses. "I can feel your desire." Rey’s grip on the sword lessens. "There won't be a single soul who won't know your name."

The entire room shakes at that moment, rocks tumbling to the ground and dust floating into the air as a faint roar is heard. A cold smile spreads and his scarred face distorts with the movement.

“I’ve sent a gift to Alderaan,” Snoke elaborates. “One that will secure our reign in the hearts of the people,  _ forever _ .”

Ben's control slips a little and Rey glimpses the pleading in his eyes. She looks between him and Snoke as her arms slowly lower out of the aggressive stance.

"Strike him down and take your rightful place," Snoke crows. "You know what you must do."

Rey looks Snoke directly in the eye. "Yes, I do."

With that, she rears back and throws the sword at Snoke, using the Force to propel it forward. Her aim is true, and the sword finds its target: going straight through Snoke's shoulder and embedding itself in the rock behind. Snoke roars as the flames rise up on impact.

Rey reaches out again, this time behind her for her own sword and to steal one from the now alert guards. Her sword ignites the second it hits her palm and as she catches the second one she throws it to Ben. He’s still slightly hunched over, but he catches it with relative ease as he stands.

“Rey,” he begins.

“You don’t need to say anything,” she assures him, turning her back to him and raising her sword at the wall of guards advancing on her side. Ben nods and turns to his side, raising his other hand to summon another sword.

Just before the first of the guards swings at her, Rey spies Thanasis Ren slinking out the doors of the room. With a yell of frustration, Rey jumps straight into the fray. The lighting above adds to the cacophony as the battle begins. With every enemy she strikes down, there seem to be two more to take their place. Her sword cleaves like butter, and when she whirls around, locking swords with two of the guards, she sees Ben tearing through the guards that face him, snarling like a wounded animal. 

They end up next to each other, parrying and deflecting to keep the other from harm. It ends with them back to back and facing too many. Rey lets her mental shields down and lets Ben in completely and within a split second he knows what she wants to do. They both use the bond as a conduit, calling upon the Force around them and sending it out in a shockwave that sends their opponents flying into the walls.

Both of them turn to Snoke, as a hiss of lightning lights up the clouds above. The Supreme Leader is gripping the sword and it is with great effort and a very burned hand that he manages to pull it from his shoulder. He tosses it aside, and his fury rolls over the room like a tide.

"You would both defy the Lord of the Underworld?" He stands, striding down a few of the steps. “Kings and Demi-Gods have bowed to me, what makes you think you can refuse for long?”

With the adrenaline from the fight still coursing through her veins, Rey stands taller, embolden with power. "I am one with the Force. The Force is with me. And I am leaving with Ben Solo." she declares.

"Then I have no choice but to kill you," He says. "I'll deal with my apprentice after." He sneers at Ben.

Snoke raises his hands and the ceiling rumbles from behind the storm clouds. Rey and Ben look up and then at each other, concern mirrored in their eyes.

Lightning streaks across the clouds and a jagged crack echoes throughout the chamber as the sharp tips of stalactites emerge through the clouds as they fall from the ceiling.

Rey and Ben dodge as best they can as the formations crash to the floor, shooting bits of rock everywhere as they crumble to pieces. Ben is forced to roll to the side as a huge chunk of rock falls right where he had been standing. Another one plummets straight towards him as Rey leaps out of the way of another.

“Ben!” Rey flings out her hand as she stands still, stopping the rock at the risk of getting crushed herself. The rock stops in midair and with a yell Rey turns and heaves it at Snoke. He turns to the side as the stalactite hits the wall behind his shoulder and crumbles behind him. Rey braces for another impact but no more stones fall from above.

Instead, Snoke reaches out a hand toward Ben, who is stumbling to his feet, lifting him in the air. Malice lights Snoke’s eyes as he clenches his fist and Ben begins to scream.

Rey reacts instantly, climbing and leaping across the rubble toward the dais. At the foot of the stairs, she leaps forward, propelling herself with the force and raises her sword. She lets out a cry, and brings the sword down on Snoke’s hand. Ben drops to the floor instantly. Snoke clutches his arm to his chest, stumbling backward toward the throne. Rey looks back at Ben before stalking forward toward where Snoke is huddled on the throne. He seems weak - the dark presence he had before is now completely gone and fear emanates from him.

“I won’t kill you. It’s not my place.” Rey states as she stops in front of Snoke. She lowers her sword, the blue flames extinguishing. “But it is Ben’s.” She turns to look at Ben, his cape tattered and walking gingerly up the stairs. Halfway up he summons his sword and the crackling of red flames lights the area where he walks as he clenches his fist around the hilt.

“My appre-” Snoke’s pleading is cut off with a swing of Ben’s sword and Rey turns her head.

She turns to Ben when the red glow disappears. He stares emptily at the throne his sword hanging down by his side.

“I’d forgotten what it was like to not have him in my head.” Ben murmurs.

“You’re free now.” she reassures him. Rey lifts a hand but he turns away just before she can touch him. He walks a few steps away and reaches down to grab a small object from the ground. Rey recoils as the dark energy from it hits her all at once. He holds it up, turning it in his fingers and Rey can now see it’s a ring with stones black as pitch.

“Ben?”

“This is what he promised me,” Ben says. “This, right here, is the key to everything.”

Rey frowns at his expression when he turns back to her. “Ben?”

“Rey, stay with me.” he murmurs, reaching out and gently grabbing her hand. Rey stills, shuddering as Ben’s gloved thumb begins to gently caress her. She starts intertwining their fingers, as each stroke of his thumb sends pleasant little tingles up her arm. She’s entranced by the sight of her hand against the black of his glove.

“My Grandfather’s mentor harnessed the power of the Gods, channeled it into something new: this talisman,” The black gems glint wickedly in the dull light. “The right to rule.” he sounds almost in a daze. “We can do better than Snoke, together. We could fix everything.” His mind is still open to her so she feels when his thoughts begin to slip away into dangerous paths. 

“You’re wrong, Ben.” she says hollowly, as he lifts a hand to caress her cheek. “You know it. I can feel it.”

His eyes snap to hers. “Do you really think we can stop a Leviathan? Alderaan is doomed, but we could stay here and rule  _ this _ throne. My parents already think I’m lost to them.” He steps forward, leaving only the barest of room between them. “Take what you know is yours, Rey. Stand with me.” He slowly lifts her hand to his lips and lays a kiss on the bare skin.

And just like that, the spell is broken.

Rey pulls away and tears wells up in her eye and spills down her cheek. “I can’t. I won’t do it at the cost of other’s lives.” 

Ben’s face hardens as she takes a step backward. She pauses, reaching into her pocket, pulling out the pendant and placing it in his hand. She closes his fingers around the warm metal. Rey looks him up and down one last time, committing the sight of him,  _ alive _ , to memory. “Goodbye, Ben.” She shuts down the bond, turning and sprinting out of the throne room. The doors slowly close behind her, and it takes everything for her not to look back because if she does, she knows that she will stay.

She runs and runs and runs until she passes the grey wheat field. She has to ignite her sword to find the tunnel to the surface but when she does she rushes through the passage, eager to get out.

She squeezes through the rocks and collapses on the fresh grass, panting. Alderaan isn’t too far, but far enough where she’ll have to run through the night to get to the coast. Rey is already tired but the thought of stopping makes her sick.

She sheathes her sword and  _ runs _ .

* * *

Bodies and ruin cover the throne room. Ben sits on the throne, reclined and fiddling with the black ring. His emotions roil like the thunder clouds above. This was everything he deserved, everything he was promised and yet, it feels like an empty victory.

The room still crackles with her energy. Every time he closes his eyes she’s all he can see, ferocious and fearsome as she tears through the guards.  _ She came for you _ , a little voice in his head reminds him and he slams the ring down on the arm of the throne.

He doesn’t want to face it, the disappointment. She may have shut him out but he felt it clearly from her anyway.

Damn it, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

He grinds his teeth as he tries to think of anything-  _ anything _ but her. She has consumed his every thought since their first meeting, and his body feels like it’s actually rejecting the notion that the bond is closed. The ache is completely separate from the other injuries, almost worse.

He wants to go to her.

What’s the use of ruling if it means an eternity alone? His throat closes up at the thought of it.

His jaw clenches. His head falls into his hand. It’s almost worse now that he’s admitted it to himself. Her pleading, in hindsight was when he should have given it all up.

His leg bounces up and down as he comes to terms with what he’s considering. He dreads it - but then he thinks of her, and her blind faith in him. She never left.

_ She never left. _

The guilt breaks and he stands up, knowing the path he’s going to take.

He almost takes the first step when he remembers the ring, like a dead weight in his hand. He closes his fist around it with the strength to bruise and a small part of his chest relaxes when he feels and hears it crumple beneath his fingers.

Energy explodes from the ring, racing upward and spreading across the Underworld. The entire place begins to shake and he feels like a thousand pairs of eyes are trained on him, his neck crawling with the distinct feeling of being extremely unwelcome here.

He turns his back on what was once his legacy and doesn’t look back.

  
  


* * *

Rey is gasping for air by the time she reaches the coast near Alderaan. She slips down the trunk of a tree, leaning on it completely. She can hear the ocean splashing on the cliff walls below the forest.

There is a certain stillness in the air, like the entire land is holding its breath. And while there is nothing wrong in the Force, she can feel the same tension there too.

Her limbs feel heavy and she can barely hold her head up. This entire idea seems so foolish now. She tries to remember what Ben called it. A Leviathan? She’s not entirely sure what exactly that is, but her mind can imagine some terrible things to make up for it.

“So the scavenger survived. I’m not sure if I should be dissapointed, or impressed.” Thanasis Ren says, striding through the trees into view. Rey shoots to her feet, cursing herself for not being more careful. She glares at him.

“I did.” Rey shoots back. “You would have known if you had stayed. I saw you take your leave early.”

“And miss the festivities here? No.” She practically can hear him smiling behind the mask. “I have more important duties, such as guarding the sea creature from those who would stop it, such as an Alderaanian army, or even a lone scavenger.” He tilts his head. “Unfortunately, that means my brothers and I can’t let you live.” Rey pales as five more Knights step out of the forest, drawing their weapons.

Rey has been in situations like this in Jakku. It’s a simple choice of fight or flight and she is in no condition to fight her way through six deadly opponents. She makes her choice.

Rey turns and bolts into the trees behind her, hearing the sound of the Knights collective laughter as they give chase.

Her grip on the Force is loose at best and she stumbles too many times as she goes up the incline on the forest floor. Her feet pound against the ground as she races through the forest until she reaches a clearing empty of trees. 

She can see the ocean ahead and to her right, and far to her left the trees begin again. The ocean waves below are barely visible through a dense fog creeping up on the cliffs. The air smells metallic like rain and mist is already wetting her hair.

Rey spins around as the Knights stride out of the trees and spread out around the treeline. Her heart sinks as she realizes they’re herding her. The cliff is at her back and she has nowhere else to go. The icy wind from the sea starts to bring rain down upon them.

“It’s almost here,” the Knight with long robes hisses. “Can you feel it?”

Rey doesn’t want to reach out, she dreads knowing how close the beast is. It doesn’t matter though, she can feel the trembles through the Force heralding its arrival.

Rey pulls out her sword with trembling hands. Her fingers are rapidly losing feeling from the cold and Rey has to grit her teeth to keep them from chattering. It’s partially for warmth that she ignites her sword.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Rey pleads. “You have no quarrel with Alderaan. Let me turn back the creature and save them. Why do it? Why kill the innocent?” 

“Fear is power. It is how we remind them of the might of the Gods.” Thanasis Ren replies, stepping forward.

“You’re wrong. Fear can be overcome and it always will be.” Rey raises her sword as the sky above them thunders. “I won’t let you do this.”

“Then you’ll die alongside them.” the hooded knight decrees, raising his battle ax and advancing.

A sliver of panic worms its way into her brain but she quickly shoves it aside as she dodges out of the way of the swinging weapon, catching the axe with her blade. Her hair sticks to her face as she twists the axe away from her and she raises her sword just in time to block a blow from Thanasis Ren’s scythe. The metal screeches as the blades connect over and over. He forces her backward with every attack. Thanasis fights like a beast, all bulk and strength with a surprising amount of agility. Rey underestimates him a few times and each time she has to use the Force to avoid his deadly strike.

Rey is parrying him again when Thanasis shouts “Septimus!” and the robed Knight rushes forward and swings his axe straight at her side. With a yell, Rey extends her hand, freezing the weapon in mid-air while locking Thanasis’s sword with hers. Her limbs immediately protest. Rain streaks down her body as her mind feels like it’s being torn in two from the effort of keeping the axe immobilized.

Septimus turns his head, and the two of the Knights lift their weapons. Rey’s eyes widen at the sight of a crossbow and bow and arrow being leveled straight at her.

Rey turns her attention to the deadlock of weapons in front of her as they move closer at her slip in concentration. She pants heavily, the strain becoming too much and-

“Elio. Mihail.” They all turn to the new voice.

Ben stands between the two knights, their arrows clenched firmly in both his hands, preventing them from flying. Rey feels both Septimus and Thanasis pulling away from her and she stumbles back, shoving both weapons away from her.

“Ren,” one of the two Knights next to him gasps before Ben wrenches the arrows away and elbows them both in the face, sending them crashing to the ground.

Rey’s mouth opens at the sight of him, a small smile quickly growing. As he walks toward her he draws his sword, the red flames contrasting hers perfectly. The Knights still standing step back a few paces.

“You came,” she whispers in disbelief.

“Rey,” he murmurs, reaching a hand toward her cheek. She never feels it as the ground starts shaking and a deafening roar comes from the sea below.

All of them lower their weapons as they do their best to stay upright.

Rey turns to Ben. “We have to stop it, it’s going to destroy Alderaan.” she shouts over all the noise. The shaking stops but the rain gets even harder and the thunder intensifies, followed now by bolts of lighting through the fog.

“Lord Ren, the Supreme Leader ordered-” Thanasis starts, stepping toward them.

“The Supreme Leader is dead,” Ben cuts him off. He pauses before continuing. “Kylo Ren is dead.” he states.

“I- I don’t understand,” Thanasis stumbles over his words. The rest of the Knights shift uncomfortably.

“I gave the Old power back to the Gods.” Ben states. “Thanasis, Moeris, Septimus, Onias, Mihail, Elio, you have no obligation to serve any longer.”

The Knights all look at each other, as if unsure of what to do. Elio and Mihail both groan from where they lie.

Rey starts to interrupt them but she turns to the sea when she hears disruption in the waves and screams “Ben!”, grabbing his arm.

A huge serpent, far bigger than the cliff rises from the storming sea. Rows and rows of jagged teeth bare as the creature hisses. It’s milky eyes from the dark depths still easily paralyze them all as they take in the sheer size of the creature. It rears its head back, opening its jaws wide and surges forward toward them.

To Ben’s horror, Rey steps forward instead of back like any sane person would do. She raises her arms as the sea creature gets closer and closer-

The monster hits some sort of invisible barrier and recoils.

Ben turns to Rey with wide eyes. She’s sweating and too pale, but her determination is blinding. He understands what she’s doing and the sheer lunacy of it all brings a small smile to his face. She’s buying time. He too raises his arms and concentrates on feeding his energy into the barrier of the Force she’s erected.

He and Rey are both tired, so when the sea creature hits the barrier with full strength and  _ pushes _ , he can feel exhaustion creeping up on him already. He can feel Rey’s panic seep through the bond.

“You have to open it,” he yells at her. “Open the bond, Rey!” She drops her walls immediately. Instantly his limbs feel refreshed and he can see color returning to her face.

However, the creature begins pounding against them again, and the strain returns more and more every second.

_ “I don’t know how much longer I can last, _ ” she tells him over the bond. She sounds weaker than he’s ever heard her and she’s soaked to the bone.

“ _ I’ll stay to the end. _ ” he promises.

Warmth rushes through the bond, filling him completely. His eyes brim with tears and he looks over and it’s mirrored in her eyes too.

He can feel the barrier beginning to crumble and so does the beast. It redoubles it’s efforts, water splashing every which way beneath them as it crashes against their failing defense.

One more strike and it’s through. Rey and Ben lock eyes as the beast surges toward them one final time.

It hits the barrier with a howl.

In stunned silence, Kylo turns to his right to see Elio standing off to the side, arms raised in tandem with them. His fresh energy fills the gaps in the barrier and the Force hums louder.

“You broke my nose, Ben,” the Knight says accusingly. “But I’ll help you anyway.” He turns around. “Well? We could use some help here!”

Mihail walks over next to Elio and joins the fray. Onias sheathes his cleaver with a sigh and plants himself where he is and joins them.

The beast roars, shoving against the barrier and everyone holding it slides back a few inches.

The ground beneath all of them trembles and part of the cliff edge near Rey breaks off and falls down into the ocean.

Elio holds only one hand up and with the other he rips off his helmet. Sweaty blond hair falls free and is instantly soaked by the rainfall. His skin is just as pale as Rey’s is. It gets paler when the ground beneath the three of them begins to give way. Just as Rey thinks they’re about to plummet to their deaths the ground lifts, steady again beneath their feet. Rey, Elio, and Ben all exchange glances before turning around.

Both Thanasis and Septimus are sitting in a meditative position, hands firmly against the muddy ground, commanding it to be still. Septimus has always been proficient with the Force but combining that with Thanasis and his tenacity makes for a duo that even Ben admits is formidable. Ben struggles to keep a wry smile off his face. Not bad for a bunch of runaway students.

* * *

Rey is so tired. Her limbs are ready to collapse and fold underneath the pressure. The swirls of the Force keeping this barrier up are so different and to feel them come together for something this important is amazing. She finds she’s okay standing beside these Knights, and though they would be loathe to admit it, she knows they have a sense of loyalty toward Ben.

With the others holding the barrier, Rey disengages and pushes past the barrier to prod at the creature itself. It’s angry, frustrated, and absolutely not going to stop. Rey has a sinking feeling it was created only for this purpose and a barrier isn’t what’s going to end this.

Rey concentrates, worming her way around the serpent. She can feel several points across its scales that feel different than the rest in the Force. When she prods at one, the creatures roars and moves its body away. She can feel the others relief at the pressure lifting from the barrier.

The Leviathan eyes her, and Rey is fascinated by it’s milky white eyes. Ben senses her curiosity as she keeps prodding and distracting it.

“ _ Snoke brought it up from the depths. It’s eyes are made for the dark. _ ”

Rey turns to him immediately. His clothes are soaked through and he looks like hell. He picks up on her thoughts immediately. 

Rey starts first, feeling her way through the storm clouds, feeling the zips of lightning brewing above. She latches onto them  _ all _ . Ben lets go of the barrier to the protest of Elio and does the same as her.

“ _ Together _ ,”

“ _ Together. _ ” he nods at her.

They wrench every single strand of lightning down from the sky. Blinding white light erupts in front of them, engulfing everything as the air shatters with the most massive clap of thunder.

The Knight’s shield is what saves them all. Even though blinded, they all feel themselves rocketed backward by the explosion in front of them. They all land in different directions. Rey manages to blink away the stars in her eyes long enough to see the serpent slip back under the waves before succumbing to unconsciousness.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


She finds herself standing in their dream. 

The fire is gone. 

Instead of the light of the flame, it’s the light of the numerous stars above them that illuminate the smoking remains of the Temple.

Rey can see Ben’s chest heaving from where he stands in front of her.

“It’s been burning for so long,” he says brokenly, looking at the ruins.

“You’re free,” she says, giving him a small smile. “I think it’s over.”

He pulls something out of his pocket, and it glints in the starlight. He lets out a shaky breath and his lips tremble as tears spill over.

“You were never alone, Ben.” Rey says gently, walking over and looking down at the pendant in his hand, taking his hand in hers.

He collapses to his knees and pulls her in, his arms wrapping around her waist as he sobs into her stomach. Rey wraps her arms around his head, and presses herself closer, stroking his hair. “I’m not leaving.” she assures him.

“You never did,” is his choked reply.

They stay like that as the stars wink out one by one and the sun rises beyond the horizon.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Rey opens her eyes and the first thing she feels is cold.

“She’s awake!” Rey starts and tenses up as she sees Elio kneel next to her. “That was a nasty blow you took to the head,” the Knight says as he extends a hand to her. She tentatively takes it and he helps her to her feet. “Come sit by the fire, it’ll help.”

Rey sees two of the other Knights huddled around a small campfire, but not Ben.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s still out,” Elio assures her as she looks around, finally seeing him where he lies near the fire. “He had it worse than you, which is saying something.”

“You’ll get used to his chatter,” the Knight with the cleaver says from his seat by the fire. “Or you’ll tune it out like me.”

Elio waves him off as they too sit by the fire. “Don’t listen to Onias, he’s always been a lump on a log. No fun, that one.” he tells her, winking.

Rey isn’t quite sure what to say as this was nothing she expected from the Knights of Ren so she just sticks out her hands and does her best to warm up by the fire. When Ben finally starts to stir, she races over to him, helping him sit up. He holds his head in his hands and as Rey pushes his hair out of his face she can feel the distinct swelling of injury in the back of his head.

“Join us,” she says and he nods.

She makes small talk with Elio and finds out they’ve been out for a few hours and that they got the brunt of the explosion. The others came to after a little while and built the fire and that’s when Rey woke up.

“I was amazed we did what we did,” Mihail, the other recipient of Ben’s elbow, says. “We haven’t used our abilities like that in quite some time.”

The more they speak the more Rey warms up to the men. They decide to stay the night and by the time evening fall Rey asks them to accompany her and Ben to Alderaan.

“Alderaan?” Ben asks, turning a slightly paler shade.

“Alderaan.” Rey affirms, looking at him mischievously. “I still need that reward money, your highness.” He stares at her, affronted until Rey laughs and then he cracks a smile.

Later as the Knights go off a little way into the woods to sleep, Rey goes and sits at the cliffs edge, looking at the gleam of the stars on the water. 

Ben sits down next to her, and she looks up at him. “Can’t sleep?”

He shakes his head and sighs. His armor is gone and he’s left in pants, boots and a long-sleeved black tunic that looks like the comfiest piece of clothing Rey’s ever seen. He’s also wearing the pendant.

Without hesitation she moves so close to his side their thighs are touching and she lays her head on his shoulder. His arm goes stiff at the contact but then relaxes. Fondness flows toward her through the bond and she smiles as she observes the last of the setting sun.

His hand clenches on his thigh and Rey grabs it, marveling in the strength that she sees there. She brings it up to her lips and lays the smallest most hesitant kiss on his fingers.

“Rey,” she looks up at him. “No matter how things go in Alderaan, promise me you’ll never change.”

Rey lifts her head off his shoulder. “So you  _ do _ want to go to Alderaan?” 

“I’ve already made too many mistakes and I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for them. It can’t hurt to start there - at home.” he absentmindedly fiddles with the necklace.

“That suits you,” Rey says, pointing at the pendant. “I think your life is going to be better than you think it will. I can see it.” She smiles at him. “Your family is going to be so excited to see you.”

He sobers instantly. “I don’t know if that’s true.”

“Of course it is, Ben! I think you underestimate the power of love.” she muses. “And forgiveness. It’s a powerful thing.”

“And what do you know about that?” he asks slowly.

Rey swallows. “Forgiveness is about letting go of hate and anger.” Her hand that’s on top of his twitches. “I hated you- when we first met.”

“And then?” His voice gets deeper and suddenly she knows where this is going. It's something she's tried so hard to ignore but now is impossible.

“I realized we were the same. You are just as lonely as I am. I didn’t want to see it - but I couldn’t help it. I felt your remorse and pain. After that I knew it wasn’t going to be simple.” 

Rey takes a deep breath and digs deeply for any last scraps of courage she has. “I would have fought all of Snokes guards and then a hundred more if it meant you would be safe. After, when you asked me to stay, there was nothing else I had ever wanted more.” Rey can feel the tears start to well up in her eyes as she continues to talk. “It scared me because I didn’t want to leave and it scared me because you wanted me to stay. I think that’s when I knew I loved you.” She finishes with a whisper.

Still clutching his hand, she lifts her head and before she can say or do anything else he’s kissing her.  She jolts a little at the sudden sensation but after a moment she melts into the kiss. It's better than she ever dreamed of. When he pulls away she has to blink to get her head out of the clouds.

His hand brushes her cheek and wipes away the stray tear that’s fallen down her cheek at his words. “Rey, you will always have me. I promise you’ll never be alone again.”

Tears flow freely now down her face and when he pulls her closer Rey wraps her arms around him and cries - this time tears of joy.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


With the four Knights of Ren and the overly cheery Elio in tow, Rey and Ben trek to Alderaan the very next day. By the time they reach the palace gates word of Ben’s return has reached every single household in the city and there are plenty of curious eyes on the group as they approach the building.

The guards stand aside and open the doors for them and Rey is stunned by the beauty of the white stone Alderaanian palace. Blue skies peek through the stone columns and every surface is scrubbed spotless. Rey feels very small and out of place. Ben, sensing her concern, grabs her hand and gives it a comforting squeeze. She squeezes right back, knowing that he needs it just as much as she does.

They follow a long hallway draped with blue and lined with guards. Another set of doors open and they’re let into the main throne room. Sitting on a throne overseeing the entire room sits an older woman with grey hair. The group approaches the throne, but only Ben goes up the stairs directly to the throne.

“Mother,” he says formally, kneeling before her.

“Ben,” she says.

There is a moment of silence as he looks up at her, and she looks at him and then their arms are around each other and Ben is sobbing into his mother’s robes. She hushes him, brushing her fingers through his hair like only a mother can, but there are tears freely flowing down her face too.

“Ben!” a loud gruff voice calls from the left side of the room. Rey turns and a greying man with kind eyes, deep wrinkles, and a nose just like Ben’s rushes up the stairs without any formality whatsoever. The Queen and Ben both look up at him as he opens his arms to Ben.

Ben doesn’t embrace him, but instead reaches in his pocket and pulls out the pendant she gave him, placing it in the man’s hand.

“Father,”

The man nods at him, looking down at the pendant and Rey can tell he’s trying to hold back tears.

“Come here,” the men embrace and more tears are shed.

Rey smiles at the sight, her own eyes feeling a little misty. The Queen catches her eye, and mouths the words “Thank you” to her. Rey just nods kindly as she watches Ben in the arms of his parents.

  
  


* * *

He finds her later, on the balcony of the room she’s been given. It’s so lavish she hardly knows what to think. The bed is too soft, the walls seem to close and it’s so silent. It becomes too much for someone who’s only home was the beach of Jakku so instead Rey goes outside to watch the stars appear in the sky like she always does.

Ben is the image of regality, clad in white and gold instead of black. He comes and stands next to her though she doesn’t look away from the sky.

“I used to stargaze just like this on the beaches of Jakku,” she says as he stands next to her in the night air. “I’d dream of the day I’d see them from another place. It made the first initial dreams with you a little easier I think, seeing the familiar stars when I didn’t know where I was. They’re a little bit of home that I can take with me wherever I go.” She snorts softly. “Who would have thought a lowly scavenger like me would end up here in the palace of Alderaan?”

Now it’s Ben’s turn to snort. “You’re not just some scavenger anymore, Rey. Haven’t you heard? They’re calling you the hero of Alderaan.”

If they were walking, Rey would have stumbled. “What?”

Ben outright laughs. “They are! Think of it - to the nobles it’s an entertaining story, and to anyone else it’s inspirational. You come from nothing and you went out on your own and did what no one else could do - saved a cursed Prince. I doubt you will be forgotten anytime soon.”

Rey feels very self-conscious - just like she did when she first walked into the palace.

“I don’t think I could ever get used to that,” she admits, staring wide-eyed into the distance.

He laughs at her expression and she bats at him with her too-long sleeve. He responds by grabbing her mid-swing and kissing her, which seems to be becoming his regular way of responding to her.

Rey finds that she doesn’t mind. Not one bit.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


They marry the next spring in front of the entire city. 

When she and Ben sat down with the Queen and Ben made his intentions toward Rey known, it was one of the most terrifying things Rey had ever done in her life. Surprisingly the Queen turned out to be very understanding and showed an immediate liking to her, almost as much as her husband had. Han came from a humble background as well and they had found common ground through sailing. Either way, they were both delighted to find out that not only was Rey the one who had rescued Ben, but that they had fallen in love.

“Not to dissimilar from us, Leia,” Han had said, patting Ben across the back. “I knew there was hope for you.” Both Ben and Leia rolled their eyes while Rey tried not to choke on her wine.

The wedding is a three day affair, which Rey thinks is a bit excessive but apparently is the custom in Alderaan. Flowers hang from every surface and are tied up in her hair and Rey feels beautiful in a flowy white gown.

“You’re more than beautiful,” Ben tells her more than once. “You look breathtaking.”

As the festivities drag on through the last night and they both get tired of all the smiling and small-talk, Ben takes Rey by the hand and sneaks them off to a balcony somewhere else in the palace and together they stargaze as the sun finishes setting.

* * *

Their life together is prosperous, not only for them but for the people. Ben and Rey are loved by not only those around them but by the common folk as well. When they pass on, they are buried together in a glade outside the city where the starlight touches the Earth. They are honored in the stars as two constellations - never apart but side by side for all eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Thanasis Ren (Vicrul)](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Vicrul?file=Vicrul.png)  
> [Septimus Ren (Aplek)](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ap%27lek?file=Aplek.png)  
> [Mihail Ren (Cardo)](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Cardo?file=Cardo-TROSOCE.png)  
> [Moeris Ren (Ushar)](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ushar?file=Ushar-main.jpg)  
> [Onias Ren (Trudgen)](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Trudgen?file=Trudgen-TROSOCE.png)  
> [Elio Ren (Kuruk)](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Kuruk?file=Kuruk-TROSOCE.png)  
> [The tree pendant](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ac/7f/01/ac7f01d7e2b1291ff928f7a845fe047d.jpg)  
> [The throne room doors](https://imgur.com/OwsUzQh)  
> Alderaan is based on [this](https://www.deviantart.com/damiankrzywonos/art/Qrath-Empire-cityscape-fantasy-concept-art-682023992) concept art by [DamianKrzywonos](https://www.deviantart.com/damiankrzywonos)
> 
> I literally cannot believe I wrote this entire story in thirty days. I've never finished a fanfic before, so this is a big deal for me :") I'm so proud of how this turned out and I hope it was a fun read for y'all! :) 
> 
> A special shout out goes to my betas [river--glass](https://river--glass.tumblr.com/) and [iaintnosidekick](https://www.tumblr.com/iaintnosidekick). Thank you both for your encouraging words and for letting me know when I was getting too long-winded lmao. This wouldn't have been possible without your feedback.
> 
> SpaceWaffleHouseTM: I hope this lived up to your expectations and that I did your prompt justice. Thanks for giving me the best prompt to start my Reylo writing journey. :)
> 
> Feel free to check me out on my socials:  
> [FangirlintheForest](https://fangirlintheforest.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr  
> and [@forestfangirl](https://twitter.com/forestfangirl) on Twitter
> 
> And lastly, thanks to everyone that has left comments, kudos and bookmarked/rec'd this fic. You are all so appreciated. Let me know what you think down below! Thank you for joining me on this journey. :)


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